You are too valuable

My thought today was to encourage you on how valuable you are. I was looking for a quote that would sum up what I wanted to say. However, I could not find one. So, here are my thoughts for you today on the subject.

You are too valuable to live up to other people’s opinion of your mistakes. Learn from those mistakes and draw strength from your experience. Experience can often teach us more than education can.

You are too valuable to accept other people’s opinion of your worth.

You are too valuable for pursuits that waste your time. Time is irreplaceable.

You are too valuable to try to live like someone else – even if that someone is a person you admire. You are unique. You have your own path, your own journey, your own mile and your own shoes in which to walk that mile. Learning wisdom from others is great. Use the wisdom that you glean from others to shape your own self image. Your own destiny.

You are too valuable to settle -to settle for the status quo – to settle for trying to fit in. When, all you want to do is live on your own terms, drawing your own lines — outside any proverbial “box.”

You are too valuable to do the same thing over and over expecting the approval of others and not receiving it. Your self worth is inside you. It can not be bought, sold, gifted, borrowed or received from someone else. You own it.

You are too valuable to do less than you know you were meant to do and to be.

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Be helpful

I was chatting with a friend at work yesterday. We were discussing the things we had done to find work. She related to me this story. She was trying to find work at a nursing home. But no matter how many times she submitted her application and spoke with the manager in person she was not hired. Then she got the idea to ask if they accepted volunteers. She got the volunteer job and worked for free for six week. Then when a vacancy came along she was offered the job. I recall that I had a similar experience. I could not find work so I volunteered at my church for three months, just to keep myself busy. A vacancy came along and I was hired.

Offer to help with no expectation of reward. You may be surprised what blessings may come your way. It may not be a job, but something else that you may desire may suddenly come about. For example: your desire for the health or well-being of a loved one, hearing from a long time friend, a sudden win-fall travel opportunity and more. We cannot survive on our own. We all need help at some point. Help others when it is in your power to do so.

Be prepared

Just because you know where you are going does not mean you know what to expect. Prepare. Your plans may not work out as you hope, but it is a start. Preparation is the beginning of taking care of your mental narrative. Preparation is the shepherd of your time. It gives you a yardstick by which to measure your thinking and your activities. And, by all means, have a backup to your plans so that when fate meets your preparation and things do not work out… you can still keep moving forward.

Everything has led you to this moment in your life

I was just enjoying my coffee and watching the sun rise and felt very strongly that I should share some words of encouragement with you.

Everything that you have been through. Every joy, every experience, every pain, every miss-step, every success and yes, every “failure” has led to this moment in your life. It is not an accident that you are alive today. You are meant to Be here. Each moment is precious – it will not return. What you do with each precious moment is the sum total of who you are. This is a new season in your life. The door is open. Enter it with wisdom, courage and expectation. Do more than exist–thrive.

Encouragement Tuesday

Slide show of words of encouragement for you this Tuesday. Sometimes Tuesdays are tough to get through in my experience. Encourage yourself, dust off your aura, wipe your tears and trust you have what it takes to continue to be the best you you can be today. Happy Tuesday.

Wisdom from my grandma

When I was growing up my grandmother had many sayings that she repeated often. She was in my eyes, the wisest person I have known.

She would encourage me to be open to expressing my emotions when she said, “Laugh and cry live in the same house.” She meant that I should not be afraid to express my emotions because joy and laughter are both a part of being human. The face is the house which displays those emotions. She wanted me to be free to be human.

The other day, I made a mistake in a email I sent at work. The person replied very kindly suggesting that I made the mistake because I was tired. It occurred to me that I made the mistake — because I am human. Do not fear making mistakes or crying because of them. That is what makes us intrinsically human. Be free to be you, tears, laughter and all.

Nature along the way

I took some photos of nature in my travels to and from home. I was particularly delighted with the bunny rabbit (I think) that stopped for me to take his photo. I was greatly surprised that he did not run away. Nope. He sat there quite comfortable waiting for me to walk by (this is my view of things mind you 🙂 ). When I finally arrived at his location, he turned his head and there you have it — his pose for my cell phone camera. And then, photo opportunity completed, he scurried away quickly.

The simple things sometimes bring me the most joy. Life can get complicated enough. Live simply.

What are you meant to do?

What are you meant to do? What am I meant to do? This for me has been a nagging question since I was in my late 20’s (long time ago). I have tried and worked at many careers. I have completed many personality assessments. I have studied in various disciplines. I have traveled and lived in many cities. But I still could not find what my true calling was. Or, so I thought.

Now that I look back on past years, I have noticed one pattern, one thread which has been common to each season in my life. Whenever, I flourished (mentally, physically, emotionally and otherwise), I was involved in writing or in helping others with their writing projects. Whenever I hung up my “pen” and ran after other “career” options, I was not as fulfilled, was less healthy, was not financially sound and, worse yet, was often depressed.

In hindsight, I now understand that the periods of lack in my life were blessings. They were meant to help me to find what I was seeking –the answer to the question: “what am I meant to do with my life?”

Now that I no longer wrestle with the task of writing, I feel free-er and more content than ever. I no longer stress over the pain involved in writing. Because yes, writing is painful. It is not fun to dig into one’s soul and to reveal what was once carefully hidden there and then, broadcast it from the mountain top.

All this to say. If you feel that you have not found what you are meant to do with your life– your gifting, or your niche. Take heart. Your life experiences thus far are a beacon to what you are becoming. And somewhere in the trials and struggles perhaps, is the answer that you seek. All the very best in your pursuit of being you.

Trust your gut

I have been waffling back and forth about whether to seek another job or stay with the one I currently have. I prayed. I made my lists of the pros and cons of the present job. I assessed my level of “peace” in the job. I really cannot discern any red flags which suggest that I should exit this opportunity. Yet, I have this nagging “gut feeling” that I should move on. I only started the job at the beginning of this year. Everything, and I mean everything, is great. My boss is fantastic, kind, and an engaging person. I have the freedom to do the tasks that suit my skills and help my fellow colleagues as needed.

However (and I know you knew that the “however” was coming in this post 🙂 ) my gut is uneasy for some reason. What is even worse, today, I asked in prayer for a sign (in my experience when I ask for “signs” I get more than I bargain for and not always in a good way). I arrive at work (I work night shift). I chat with my boss as usual and what does she say. I paraphrase here: “Oh, we are considering reviewing your pay to give you a raise. It may take sometime, she continued, but I feel that we are not paying you at the right level for your skills.” Now what do I do with that! My goodness. How does this “sign” help me? 🙂 🙂

All this to say, always trust your gut and plan long term. In the short term things maybe looking up where I am in this job. However, my feeling is that in the very near future, for some reason, that is not yet clear, I may learn what this present uneasiness is about.

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