Living Life on Purpose

Journal

noun

\ ˈjər-nᵊl \

a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly

Are you intentional with the thoughts, words and actions that you put out into the universe? How can the life you are living be closer to the one you are dreaming of? What do you need to let go of to expand your sense of possibility? 

Taking the time and courage to keep a journal and honestly answer these questions will help you harness your own wisdom and curate experiences that are in alignment with your best self. 

To answer more questions like these, check out Intentional 21. 21 days of affirmations, inspiration and reflection that will shift your perspective and transform your life. 

Lessons from 2017

I'm not entirely sure when I started using planners. It's been at least since high school, but it's possible I had one before then and just don't remember. For the last 4 years, I have used a Passion Planner, and they are hands down my favorite. I love the monthly and weekly layouts that help you create focal points for the days ahead, and provide you with inspirational quotes to motivate you. I love the Passion Roadmap at the start of every planner that encourages you to put your big dreams to paper and then create a plan for realizing them. But my favorite part of the planner has to be the monthly, mid-year and end-of-year reflections. 

I thought I would share a bit of my 2017 end of year reflection with you. 

 

What were your three biggest lessons you learned this past year? What is one way to incorporate these lessons into your life?

1. Everything will happen in its own time. Be patient. Be mindful. Don't rush good talent.

2. Allowing yourself to be seen is tantamount to living an authentic life. Show up as yourself. Always. All ways. 

3. Words have power. Words become thoughts. Thoughts become actions. And all of these make your life. Be careful with how you talk to yourself and what you put out into the universe. 

 

Name three things you can improve on next year. What are concrete actions you can take to work toward these improvements?

1. Embrace abundance. The life you want is yours. Continue working for it. Open your arms, your mind, your heart, your spirit to that life. Claim it.

2. Patience. Everything will happen in its own time. Just keep showing up.

3. Be yourself. Show up as you are, not as you think people would like you to be.  

What lessons are you bringing with you into the new year? What are you working to improve?

This is Bigger Than Trump

The morning after the presidential election I was disgusted. I was angry. I felt very, very tired. But I was not shocked, and I was not surprised. I did not wonder how my country could have elected such a man. I didn't wonder who these people were that came out and supported him. I was not baffled that tens of millions of people thought he was the best option for our future, and this was largely because I am a woman of color. A Black woman. 

My community has long been aware of the overt and covert individualized and institutionalized bigotry threaded throughout our nation. 

I do understand the outrage people are feeling. I feel it myself. And I understand the need to resist all of the xenophobic, misogynist, bigoted policies that seem to be sprouting up every day. But, if we are to affect real change in this country, we have to go beyond resisting this current administration. We have to go beyond our bi-partisan system. We have to change hearts and minds. We need to dive into our history, tell the truth about our origins, make amends where we can and reconstruct our country in a way that is inclusive of all its people, and that is going to take a lot longer than however long Trump's presidency lasts.

Donald J. Trump didn't create the people who voted for him, they have been here since before he ever even entertained the idea of being president. They have been here since forever.

They have been lying in wait for a man such as Trump to be their vehicle, but make no mistake, Trump is not the disease, he is just a symptom, and we must treat him as such.

Liberated Lines - A Reflection

I took the Liberated Lines  course for the first time last week. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect beyond "7 days of poetry and photography prompts," as promised by the website, but I knew Alisha Sommer, was one of the women leading the course, and I knew that every word of hers I'd ever read seemed to stir something inside of me, and make me remember things about myself that at some point I'd forgotten. So, I was excited to begin, despite not being entirely sure what was ahead. 

When I was in high school, I watched a movie called, Fools Rush In, about a million times. It was a sweet RomCom, and I have soft spot for RomComs. Plus, Salma Hayek is in it and I love Salma Hayek. Toward the end of the movie, Hayek's love interest turns to her and says, "You're everything I never knew I always wanted." I love that line, and it's how I feel about Liberated Lines... almost. 

The course was everything I didn't realize I had been needing. 

There were places inside of me that needed a voice, but I didn't even know they were there. The unique and beautiful way in which Alisha Sommer and Robin Sandomirsky crafted each prompt gave those parts of me a chance to speak.

I feel lighter, clearer, and freer after this week of amplifying myself, and I am so grateful to Alisha and Robin for creating this space. 

To learn more about the course, check out the link above. There's another session coming up in April that I've already marked in my planner. I hope you'll try it too.