As I’m typing this the first month of 2022 is ending and while many of us started out pumped and excited telling ourselves that the best is yet to come and this year is going to be my year, the truth is many of us have already slipped back into the comfort of familiar places, spaces, and mindsets.
We’ve strayed from the path of commitment. We’ve strayed from the path of determination. We’ve strayed from the path of making what we said we wanted the life we’re living. Yet some of us are bold enough to say that others should commitment to being all that we want and need them to be to us and for us.
However, have you stopped to evaluate that to have that vantage point is unrealistic and unfair. Yes, because if you won’t show up for you, to improve you, to inspire you, to do and be the best for you, why should anyone else? If you won’t commit to you, make positive changes for you, dedicate consistent time to develop and invest in you why expect that of any one else?
You see when we take the time to look within and ask the tough questions then it is when we’ll see that there are things within our power, within our control, within our ability to change. And the change is beneficial to us, yet we won’t commit to doing the best for us. So, I want you to stop looking for someone else to show up for you in a great way to do great things and look to you to be accountable to you.
So, how do you do that.
D.E.V.E.L.O.P
Develop
Develop a mindset that you’re accountable for you and in the mist of your setbacks and adversity understand that setbacks and adversity mean you can approach the situation from a different perspective with new knowledge.
You see, if you never experience delays or obstacles, you’ll never know that you can conqueror and overcome. In fact, your greatest achievement will come with resistance and that’s what makes the moment of achievement memorable and worth celebrating.
Evolve
Evolve by taking small micro steps to bring positive improvement in your life. Instead of letting overwhelm of the end goal, project, task, or situation keep you stuck, stagnant, or going in unproductive cycles, ask yourself what’s one thing that I can do now to move me in the right direction to help me grow and go in the direction I seek to be.Then evaluate if that choice brought the result, you wanted.
If so, then take the next step you believe is the best course of action with the knowledge and resources you have. If not, re-evaluate why the choice you made didn’t help and then use your new knowledge to make a better decision the next go round. And don’t forget coaches and mentors as well as books are your friends. Invest in them because they’re totally worth it and can often empower you to accelerate your path with less mistakes.
Value
Value your priorities and let your values guide you to operate in and with integrity when the only person who sees you is you. That means you need to determine your values and stick to them.
They should anchor you and be at the forefront of the decisions you make to keep you aligned and focused on where you desire and need to go. If you have no value system create one because without values you have nothing stabilizing you. And that means anything goes and when that’s the case it’s easy to fall into doing things that don’t serve your best interest.
Encourage
Encourage yourself along the way to achieving what you’re trying to do because the most powerful words you hear the most, the longest, and the loudest are the words you speak to you. As the good book declares as a man thinks so is he.
And while there’s nothing wrong with needing or wanting a shoulder to lean or depend on. When you empower you and speak positive affirmations to you instead of waiting for someone else to do so that puts you in the driver’s seat of managing and controlling your emotions.
Love
Love where you are. The word is process and process is important because you’re in a competition with one person, the person you were on yesterday. So, focus on practicing self-love because if you don’t show yourself love and grace, you’re not treating yourself as you should.
There are no perfect people, so in this life we will despite our best efforts make a mistake, say something wrong, or simply not meet an expectation we or someone else set. There’ no way around it, acknowledge those moments, learn from them, and let them fuel you to discover how to improve you.
Object
Object to the desire to quit on you, for others to treat you as less than, and acceptance by those that don’t matter and the norms and trends of society. One thing I can tell you for a fact is everyone has an opinion. However, your purpose in life is not to march to the beat of other people’s drum, nor do you have to see yourself as others see you.
So, hear me when I say object to negativity, doubt, fear, anxiety and limiting mindsets because if you don’t, you’ll find yourself stuck from acting or looking to others for what’s best for you. And there’s just decisions in life that you should be deciding for you.
Pray
Pray for guidance. That’s right – pray! As the old folks said to me, I say to you, prayer changes things. And no matter how much we think we know, understand, or have an airtight plan we aren’t all knowing.
So, we, especially as children of the King, should seek wisdom and discernment from God. After all, He created us, knows all about us, and declares His plan is for us to prosper. And in my eyes, it doesn’t get any better than that.
Now, once you can D.E.V.E.L.O.P then you will reach the place where you understand that being your best is up to you because you are accountable for you and have the authority to not just write your own story, but dictate the pace and tone of it. So don’t just touch the lives of others live empowered with the knowledge to act to transform your own and transform it daily for the better.
All the best!
~Sometimes we look to others to bring their best to the table of our lives to make our lives better, while failing to see that we aren’t even willing to make sacrifices to improve our state of being. ~Coach Sam
~EXALTED ROYALTY~ A C. E. SAM COMPANY
