Seeds of Self-Discovery for 2024
We’re heading into a new year. 2024 is this distant, so-close-yet-so-far-away concept with the possibility of transformation so explosive it triggers a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Are we ready for a reset? Are we prepared and aligned for a revitalization of ourselves, our lives, and our pursuits for living a fulfilling and purposeful life? Are we? Are you?
For the remainder of this year, I want to focus on self-discovery. The motivation piece that most times we overlook with only a quick glimpse to run towards the results that we seek. Dr. Anita Phillips talks a lot about the process of inner healing, speaking from a place of simplicity and complexity. Using the metaphor of gardens, she determines that we truly initiate and sustain inner healing and growth through the seeds that are planted, the soil they are planted in, the plant that begins to sprout from root and beyond, and the fruit that will eventually be produced. Check out her book, "The Garden Within." It’s a good read about healing your emotions, in turn, changing your life.
There are so many aspects to inner healing from a practical, logical perspective and from a spiritual perspective. Covering this in a matter of less than three months is redundant because I’d never go deep enough. Not to mention I’m still growing in this area myself. We all are! So we’ll scratch the surface and dive deeper into the new year.
When I was a young girl and teenager, I had dreams not only of motherhood and love but also of business prowess and creative, artistic success. I had Cabbage Patch Kids and Barbies. I wrote stories page after page for hours on end. I daydreamed about my corner office in the high rise looking out over the city as I conducted business like the boss men of the '80s movie genres I grew up watching. It’s quite interesting at this age to imagine how naive I was as a young woman of color to desire basically "it all": love, family, a thriving career, and a fulfilling life. My examples of this were merely fictional characters on television. There was no social media back then. The women I saw sacrificed their all for love and family. Having it all meant sacrificing it all.
After reading that paragraph, what do you think I did with my life? Yep, I followed suit. I fell back on the default of what I knew. Those seeds of self-hate, self-neglect, and self-sabotage were planted in a lost, confused dreamer’s heart with zero guidance on how to nurture and groom into a tree that would produce the fruit that I initially dreamed of.
How many others like me have dreams of their own of a life that is fulfilling and purposeful? Have we planted the right seeds to eventually see the fruit that we desire? Most of us have dreams but have been ill-equipped. Not to anyone else’s fault because we’re all doing the best we can with what we know and have in the moment.
I’ve learned more recently the power of taking responsibility instead of passing blame. We can take the responsibility for correcting those wrongs. Pull up the weeds and roots that are contrary to who we know we can be in this world and life. And, replant, rediscover, and restore God’s plan for our lives. Most likely those dreams of fulfillment and purpose are God-breathed uniquely for you and me.
I said all of that to say this, my Sister, it’s not too late to start the inner work to ensure that the plants that grow from within in 2024 will produce the fruit that you dream of. However that may look for you. For me, that looks like being healed, healthy, and whole in mind, body, and soul. That looks like the fulfillment of healthy relationships and thriving pursuit of my purpose and legacy. That looks like a surrender to being used by God to be a light in this world and a conduit for transformation for women worldwide. That looks like a lifestyle of abundance and freedom to choose. Do you know how that looks for you?
This is the sign you’ve been looking for. Time to know without a shadow of a doubt how this looks for you not based on externally motivated driving factors like societal or cultural expectations or what other people think, but based on your true self and God’s plans to empower you for His purposes in the earth. Time to look above and within. Shut out the noise and truly rediscover the dreams that little girl dreamed and those visions divinely inspired that never seem to go away.
I will be hosting a virtual workshop in December for women who desire to get in touch with the five areas that truly matter and drive your dreams. I’ll also host a virtual workshop to begin the process of connecting with your core values so you have your blueprint for how to move in 2024. Click here to see various ways to stay connected with me, and if you’re interested in the workshops, sign up on Meetup.com now. If you can’t wait and want to work with me one-on-one, sign up for a FREE meet-and-greet strategy session to see how we can work together.
It’s no one else’s responsibility to know, support, love, and empower you but you. No more excuses. No more failing yourself. We’re taking responsibility for our own fulfillment in 2024. Won’t you join me?
