Fight the Urge....

"Wash and Go" Style

aka "Bunny Puff"

Easy style for hot, summer, "go with the flow" days!!!  

So, I'm sure you've realized by now that we are on a "downward slope" to the end of 2011.
The year is over halfway complete and we are cruising through summer at a pretty good pace.

Right about now, many of you are making to-do lists filled with plans for fall, planning holidays and end of year vacations. 
You're making lists of things to buy your children for the beginning of the school year and you're already focusing on some changes you need to make for 2012.
But, really, you can determine how fast life is moving for you.

And all of this planning can become very overwhelming when you think about where you are now and what you have to do to get to where you want to be (whew, that was a mouthful)!!!
But, I would advise you to FIGHT THE URGE to jump ahead and plan every single day and week of the next 52 weeks of your life!!

Sometimes we miss out on valuable (an invaluable) interactions, experiences, moments, and opportunities because it wasn't in our "plan!" 
Just during the past year of my life, I've met so many people and experienced some randomly occuring blessed moments because I decided to ditch the plan for the day or week.

Through hardship and life's turmoil, I've learned to GO WITH THE FLOW.
Sometimes, even our very plan, is against life's natural flow.
Sometimes, life and the Spirit is telling us to just follow and go with the flow.
Don't worry so much about where you're going and what to do, just enjoy the journey and you'll get to where you need to be.

This is certainly evident in my life right now.
As I continue to cultivate my personal relationships with God and loved ones, start a PhD program, a new career and continue to grow my business, I'm constantly reminded that sometimes the FLOW is not in the PLAN.

Disclaimer:  I'm not suggesting that we don't need to set goals. I'm a very goal oriented person and I think when we have goals we are able to focus on our purpose and make a greater impact on our life and the lives of others.  But, our plan needs to be in line with the way your life is moving.
We get so lost in our own agenda that we don't pay attention to the direction our life is actually taking us.

So, like I stated earlier, some of us miss out on so many opportunities to experience joy and growth because we weren't sensitive to what our life was telling and showing us.

So, as we move forward with the rest of the year, I'd advise you to pay attention to your heart, mind and spirit and fight the urge to plan, plan, plan.

My PLAN for the rest of 2011 is to move with, not against, the flow of my life's current!!!!

Take Baby Steps!!!

I want my hair to grow. That is my current hair journey goal.
So, the other day, I was standing at the sink twisting my hair and going through my usual routine of massaging my scalp with castor oil and finger combing and conditioning the ends of my hair. 
As I stood there looking at myself in the mirror, I began to think about my upcoming birthday.

On 7/24/11, I'll be 31 years old.
But, as I thought about birthdays, I thought about the fact that by the time my birthday arrives, I would have already completed my 31st year of life. 

So, in actuality, on my birthday, I will begin my 32nd year of life.
Then, I just began to think about how much life is really a process and journey.
 
We have to go through whatever process we are faced with, in order to get the title associated with what we've accomplished.
When we were born, we didn't instantly become 1 year old.  We had to spend that first year in stages and each month we got a little closer to the completion of that very first year of life. 
But, ultimately, on our 1st birthday, we and everyone else in our lives, celebrated the fact that we made it!

So, as we walk through life, we must remember that we have to go through many processes in order to have the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishment!!!
Sometimes we want to put the cart before the horse and gain title and recognition before we go through the process. 
But, once we go through the process, then we obtain the title, we rejoice in our accomplishment, and we prepare to begin the next phase of the process!

God gives us the ability to dream big and have a vision for our lives.  But sometimes we want to jump straight to it without walking through each and every step.  If you find yourself being impatient with the process, then remember my example of the infant going through his or her first year of life.  At every phase there were milestones and lessons learned.  They learned to sit up, crawl, stand up on their own, move from formula to more solid food, some even began walking unassisted.  But at each phase, there was progress.  It wasn't always about getting to that first birthday party, but it was about enjoying the journey along the way.

That's what I believe God wants us to do.  He wants us to commit our ways unto Him, trust Him with our vision and let Him lead us and guide us while we enjoy the journey!

Sooo, as I continue to work on GROWTH in all areas of my life, I can practice patience and perseverance knowing that I am going through a process and each step is getting me closer to that day of rejoicing and celebration!