This post was not my scheduled post for this week but I felt like I needed to share this on the blog. I’ve had a tough few days. Do you ever feel like you just stay taking L’s?  There are seasons of your life that you are not harvesting and I have been in a dry season for a while now.

I’ve been tested. I’ve been stripped of my identity.

Last year was a year of being tested by fire.  In the course of a few months my marriage ended, someone close in my life passed away, my dog died unexpectedly, I sold and moved away from a home I loved deeply and had to uproot my child’s life and move him away from his friends and school.  

All of those in themselves will have an impact on your mental health, but having that all happen within 3 months of each other devastated me.

In response to my pain I lashed out at people, cut people out of my life, spent money recklessly, overate, over drank, I did all of the things I could in an attempt to fill this void within myself.  I know what it is like to fight with yourself to keep moving forward. I resonate so much with a phoenix rising from the ashes.  I had to learn a new version of myself. I had to fight to be her. Don’t quit on yourself.

I can get in my head and doubt myself. I have days that I question what I am doing and where the direction of my life is taking me. Days I fear the unknown. Days I feel unattractive and discarded. Days I feel unworthy. Days I feel like an impostor. Days I just feel tired from treading water for so long.

When I am feeling this way, I have to remind myself that my thoughts create my feelings.  I am completely in control of how I feel. I take a moment to pause and tell myself that I have to be mentally strong, disciplined, and stay faithful to God that He will bring me out of this stronger and better than before.

Situations are neutral. Circumstances are neutral. Its how you interpret the situation or circumstance which causes your feelings. I have to coach myself to not spiral down the rabbit hole of doubt.  

There is so much power in your words and your thoughts. You can use your words to positively shape your life or you can use your words and your thoughts to destroy it.

I have to consciously change my thinking to “I am going to do whatever it takes to reach my goals” “this is not happening to me, this is happening for me”.

Even when I don’t see improvement, I have to know that each day is compounding and getting me closer to my goals. Small things add up over time to create big results. Who I am now is not the person that has the results that I want in my future but I know that I am becoming her and closer to being her day by day. I write out the goals that I have for myself as if I already have achieved them. Every single day.

When I have days I feel anxious, my confidence is shaken and I feel bad about myself, I allow myself to sit in the self-pity, feel it, but only for a moment. I then make myself retell the story in a way that benefits me.

I keep post-its around me with positive affirmations to remind me that I am made to do great things. I am made to get through the hard times. I must stay grateful for what I have now on my journey to get what I ultimately desire.

The journey of your life doesn’t always feel good but I choose to live my life on my terms and that is a magical thing. It is not enough to just think things into existence. I must believe it. I must feel it.

I try to live my life with intention. I ask myself what are the thoughts and feelings of someone that has the results that I want. Who inspires you? Take inventory of who sparks motivation within you. What are they saying about themselves, what are they listening to, how do they run their business, etc.  I find inspiration daily from women just like you that are reading my blog. I have a passion for helping women grow and empowering them. Just having this platform to reach other like-minded women and build a fellowship helps me to create a life I love on purpose and for that, I say thank you.

So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." (Galatians 6:9, NLT)