Becoming “selves” aware and learning to transition from your adapted self to your original self, your OG, requires vulnerability and an open mind.

It helps to seek out someone, whether a friend or a loved one to walk with you through this journey, and provide honest feedback when you need it.

But, get ready to be open and honest in your words, the intentions behind your actions, and where exactly they are coming from (likely your ego).

This may be difficult starting out, but this is a step not to skip in your growth journey.

For most of my early life I NEEDED to be seen and heard so I would feel validated and loved.

Now, I WANT to be seen and heard by the people that NEED what God has shown me about how perfect HIS validation is. 

Very different places to be.

The dreams we have were laid on our heart by our Creator. He made us to dream, and to think outside of the box. 

Ever since I can remember, I have been a big dreamer. And I think most kids are when they’re little. But then life happens and somewhere along the way, the dreaming becomes less intensive, smaller, and sometimes for people, nonexistent.

If I were with you I would ask you, “What is your most audacious dream?” You would probably tell me something small. To which I would reply, “go bigger.” And we would have this exchange until I saw your face light up and heard the excitement and hope in your voice that maybe, just maybe, it’s not too late. 💛 (Spoiler alert…it’s not.)

The voices in my head kept trying to tell me that I wasn’t, and never would be, good enough. They told me I would never experience joy or happiness.

Quieting our mind is not easy, but possible. And when we can separate the lies from the truth, it’s peaceful and restful.

If we can learn to recognize when those dangerous voices creep in versus God’s truth, we can practice separating and shutting down dark.

Listen to today’s episode for my advice on how to start the process of separating your true self from the chatter happening in your mind.

Life is full, not just for me but for everyone. I am not special. And I know balls will be dropped from time to time. That’s life. But how you react and respond to it is an indication of where our hearts and priorities are. It can be a good time to pause, reflect, and change course.

We are not perfect. But people are counting on us. It is our responsibility to say no if it’s too much, not theirs. 

Let’s reflect on today as we lay down to sleep and go over the areas where we can strengthen our growth or decide that they are areas that need to be paused for a second. 

Anyone else vulnerable enough to say, “I probably need to take more ownership?”

Life gets busy, and sometimes friendships fall to the bottom of our lists to spend our time and energy on, but intentionality in any relationship is so important.

If you feel yourself lacking the ability to be intentional in your relationships, I would encourage you to sit back and take inventory of what relationships feel most valuable to you.

Listen to this week's episode for some specific things that you can do to be intentional as a friend.

Unmet expectations are the demise of so many relationships. Having certain expectations can lead to manipulation and control. And when there is manipulation and control, there is no open communication. 

Listen to this week's episode for helpful ways to start really managing your expectations and having deeper relationships!

When learning how to operate from your true self, and not your ego, it is so important for you to understand and acknowledge your response to the circumstances and situations in your life.

We can often act or react out of fear, hurt, and resentment. It is your responsibility to take ownership of the moments in your day where you operate from your ego, and correct it.

In Hebrews 11:1, this is an account of so many people who on paper should have believed one thing but instead believed for better. Believed out of the box and because they knew God was that big, those things came to pass.

Imagine if the collective woke up every morning visualizing, praying for, believing with everything in us that the world could be better? That people would be more understanding. That our lives were improving minute by minute.

2 Cor. 10:5 tell us “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to Christ.“

Not only is that extremely beneficial to our mental health, but it also illustrates how we can use boundaries in our daily lives.

We can take every thought captive and surrender it. Listen in as I describe how I’ve made choices to surrender my thoughts over this past year.