Einstein once said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. This is a quote that I’ve heard many times in my life. However, often times I felt I heard this quote and never really paid attention to it. During my years as an undergraduate college student, one of my friends used to say this quote so often I was over hearing it. Internally, I was always like “omgg if I hear this one more time.” But now I realize I never really HEARD the phrase. The quote went in one ear and out the other. I was there listening but not truly listening. But I can say now as a 25 year old woman who has been through many experiences, situations, life lessons, and emotions this quote now hits different. 

Recently, I think that I have been going in cycles and expecting change. I’ve been doing the same things over and over and over again. I was hopeful and expectant for a new, different, better result. I was honestly living out the definition of insanity. I thought the longer I continued to do what I was doing, that the change and result I wanted would come…eventually. But just because we hope and wish for something to occur doesn’t mean that it will. Hopes, wishes, and wants also don’t dictate reality. Sometimes wishing and dreaming makes us feel better than actually facing the truth of reality.

My recent prayers have been for God to reveal AND remove situations, people and things that aren’t for me, that aren’t what He has planned for my life and myself. The thing about God is that he does answer us, it may not be when we want him to but he does. AND the other important thing is, that we may not like the answer he gives us. There’s a reel on Instagram that displays this exact sentiment. The reel is about a person praying to God and their supposed conversation together. I’ll copy the words below:
Start Reel…
Person praying: Lord it’s 2022 give me direction for my life this year.
God responding back: Start going to the gym
Person praying: Give me something else
God responding back: Eat healthier
Person praying: Nah give my something else.
God responding back: Stop shopping on Amazon
Person praying: Never..nevermind
End Reel.

This conversation is a literal example of our prayers and how we pick and choose what we want to hear. So I must call myself out this time because I have been GUILTYYY of this as of late for sure. As I mentioned above, I prayed a similar prayer regarding direction for my life but specific to situations I was in and/or thinking about being involved in and people I had relationships with. God was giving me signs over the course of some weeks. I heard them but was questioning if it was really God and honestly just flat out ignoring him. So sometimes God has to change his whispers, to speaking in a hushed tone, to literal YELLING or speaking to you in a way that He knows we can’t deny or ignore. And last week, I truly feel God did that for me. He was like you’ve been ignoring me for far too long and you keep praying this SAME prayer, so it’s now time to listen. 

Sometimes self-love looks like breaking cycles and letting go. Letting go of things and people you know aren’t good for you. Things and people you haven’t removed from your life because you enjoy how these things and people make you feel sometimes, but deep down there’s a part of you that knows this isn’t right for you. Today, I challenge you all to prayer a similar prayer OR to begin your own internal analysis. Allow your brain to think about the people, things, and cycles you’ve been continuing even though you’re questionable about them. Is the temporary joy worth staying in the cycle? Or is the harm these situations, people, and cycles can bring (or have already brought) enough for you to want change? I don’t want us to keep doing the same things over and over while expecting a different result, because then it’s inevitable for us to end up in a never ending cycle. Take the courage to speak up and let go. It’s hard. It’s not easy. It can be hurtful and painful. And every day won’t be butterflies and sunshine, there will be sadness and tears TRUST. But I have faith that the hard work of ending cycles and letting go will provide more than a temporary joy and happiness, more of a longterm happiness and joy that will be so worthwhile. And I challenge you all to remember to love yourselves because YOU deserve to be loved (by you)!

Happy Self-Love Sunday & Happy 2022 family!

I know it’s been a minute since you all have seen a written blog from me BUT I always make a point to come back to my first love (writing). Writing a blog has been on my mind for months now. But for some reason I just couldn’t find the time to articulate what I needed to and wanted to in writing, well really I didn’t make the time. But this year I am making the time! I hope that 2022 has been treating you all well thus far. And if not, don’t worry. Every day provides the opportunity for new beginnings, and even though January may have not been the best month doesn’t mean that February won’t be either.

For those of you who follow my A Word Wednesday Instagram video series, the videos can also be found here and on YouTube, you know that I started the year strong discussing The Year of Intention. I am declaring 2022 as the year of intention! Being intentional is defined as doing something on purpose; deliberate. This year I want to challenge us all to move with intention and be intentional in our lives. I want us to pursue our goals and dreams with intention, build relationships with intention, and so much more. Can you imagine what it would look like if we lived our year with intention and purpose? The choice is yours, but I plan on making efforts to be intentional and challenge you all to do the same. 

With being intentional this year, I also plan on accepting myself where i am, and accepting people where they are.

As mentioned previously, as this is a year of intention for me, that looks like a lot of different things. I’ve set goals & I know that they may not all come into fruition like I plan but I plan on proactively taking strides to achieve those goals. And I know a major goal of mine involves acceptance. Continuing to accept myself for who I am and where I currently am, as my journey isn’t over. I have come a very long way & I still have time and room to grow. And I want to be intentional about accepting others for who they are & where they are currently as well.

It’s so easy to create fantasies and expectations in our minds. We decide how we want and expect things to look, how we expect situations and scenarios to be, and how we assume people to behave. Then, when our expectations are not met and when we see people acting outside of this mold we set, it shocks us. But this shock comes become we don’t always accept people for WHO they are and are too concerned about who we want them to be. And I’m not saying that we as people do this intentionally, but sometimes we do this very unintentionally. We unintentionally set these preconceived notions, often forgetting that life isn’t always as black and white as it is in our minds.

I, myself, am very guilty of not being able to accept others for who they are and where they are currently and i’m guilty of not always being able to accept myself for who I am and where I am. By why? I want grace and I want to extend the same grace I give myself to others. I know that we are all works in progress. And everyone’s walk is NOT the same. Therefore, I think acceptance is very important. We must first accept where we are in our journeys and then accept others and where they are. 

Acceptance in human psychology is a person’s assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a process or condition (often a negative or uncomfortable situation) without attempting to change it or protest it. With the Year of Intention in mind, I employ you all to actively engage in being intentional by practicing acceptance. Trust me, I know that it may be challenging especially when we are unintentionally not being accepting. But it’s such a blessing to accept yourself, your story, your journey, where you’ve come from and where you have to go. And just how we all take pride in ourselves and the strides we’ve made, we must always remember what it took to get there. We have to remember the lows sometimes, just because every day won’t be filled with rainbows and sunshine. However, we must also remember this so that we can give that acceptance and grace to others. And I believe accepting people for who they are and where they are will lead to a lot less disappointment. So today, I encourage you all to think about the year of intention and being accepting. And remember to love yourself, because you deserve to be loved! 💋