IM NOT OK, ILL BE OK

Depression is defined by Mayo Clinic as “persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life” Depression is always a touchy topic for most because some feel that because their depression doesn’t appear how society portrays it on mainstream or in the media, then one isn’t depressed. Depression is when you experience extreme highs and even some extreme lows. Depression comes in many different forms and interactions with others don’t or shouldn’t define if one is truly depressed or not. If one has to question if they’re depressed or not then 9 times out of 10 they’re depressed. Sometimes depression knocks on my door when I least expect it to. It comes like a theft in the night stealing away my joy, pride, strength, and even my ability to persevere sometimes. Depression is dark sometimes stealing my light when I need it most; which is often. Depression makes me weak but never do I ever collapse in public. Depression looks like a battle between your weak self and your strong self. Some days my strength overcomes my weakness. But in silence and solitude, my weakness overcomes my strength and somehow merely takes over leaving me weak when I thought just Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I’d conquer the world. But on Friday I felt conquered; WHY because depression comes when you least expect it. When depression comes next time I’ll be ready because when you stay ready you never have to get ready.

Shift Your Focus

Each day we wake up we are granted life and the opportunity of being one step closer to fulfilling our purpose. When fulfilling our purpose or beginning to align with ourselves life takes a shift. Things begin to occur that makes you question if the shift is even necessary. When shifts occur while fulfilling one’s purpose one should take the opportunity to better yet shift focus on understanding that everything we go through shapes us into who and what we need to be while in our purpose. For some, there may not be a shift in one’s life and one may feel stagnant. Use this time to understand the art of being still and the purpose of why you must do so. Some of the time we may want to be in full control of our destiny. What we must remember when it comes to our destiny or purpose of fulfillment is that there will be times that we can’t control our outcomes. Although these times may be more often for some of us, we shouldn’t allow us not being able to be in control to change our openness to the lessons we can potentially receive during the shifts we experience in life. Not being open potentially closes the opportunity of receiving something even greater that may be in store for us. For the vast majority of us, it’s a matter of not being who we need to be to get what we want, or not being where we need to be to go to where we want to be. This puts into perspective the right person or right thing, just the wrong time.

Strength

Life sometimes has a funny way of showing us ourselves. On some occasions, we can be shown things and still not apply lessons that we might’ve learned. However, on ALL occasions each and every one of us possesses a level of strength that we lack knowledge of even knowing we possess. As a matter of fact, it takes a different kind of strength to go against the grain of what you may be used to or conditioned to do. Many of us don’t tap into the strength we know we have until we have been presented with a situation that forces us to do so. Rather than being forced to, I challenge you all to awaken your level of strength by doing three things. First, find gratitude in every obstacle faced in life. It can be easy to victimize oneself due to life circumstances. Second, Instead of saying “why me?” Ask yourself “WHY NOT ME?” There are lessons in everything we go through in life. These lessons are what shape our character and build our strength to know no matter how far we get in life, we are never exempt from situations that may test our faith or strength. & lastly, find the reason why you face the same exact scenario in a different form or from a different perspective expecting new results. Our results don’t change because our mindsets stay the same. If you can practice those three steps you are on a path to embody strength. In fact, you’re already on the journey to embody strength every day you wake up and challenge life and change your thought process. Many of us have a lack of knowledge to know how strong we really are because we simply just don’t believe in ourselves.

20/20 in 2020

It's the start of a new decade. In reflection 10 years ago I was just 15 years old. But in hindsight, I’ve survived two decades. As you begin to matriculate through life things seem to become more clear the more aware we become. This year I challenge you to gain clarity. As human beings, we can be driven by things subconsciously and be unaware of certain things that may drive or motivate us. Before 2020 came, I remember in November I prayed for clarity. Everyone around heard me use the word excessively. Little did I know that mentally I was already onto the New Year with 20/20 vision in 2020! Often we lose sight of our vision and dreams because if they aren’t tangible we feel they’re obsolete. In 2020, whether you have started or planned out what you want to do in life, use this new decade to create new behaviors and be good to yourself mentally, spiritually, financially, emotionally, and physically. All too often we aren’t aligned because we choose to only be good to one part of ourselves. The greatest lesson I learned in 2019 and during the decade is “if you don’t have clarity amongst yourself and you aren’t in alignment, whatever you are trying to get out of life seems nearly impossible to see” I came to this conclusion because being good to yourself mentally, spiritually, financially, emotionally, and physically all share one thing in common; the art of discipline and self-control. None of these practices can take place without discipline and self-control. We need discipline and self-control early to know if we can handle life at face value. Life without discipline or self-control is a life of indulgence lacking balance. By gaining values and practices to be good to yourself, you begin to open yourself up to receive new life, new possibilities, new blessings, and new opportunities. A vision without planning and knowing what work has to be put in to get there is just a vision. But a vision with a clear path; that’s 20/20 in 2020.