I made progress on a lot of my goals and ideas this year. I also had a few setbacks, which allowed me to determine if the goal or idea is worth reassessing or if I should scrap it altogether. I also doubted myself, wondering if I was doing the right thing.
I would’ve quit, however, quitting won’t get me where I want to be. I refused to give up. With my goals in mind, I restrategized and carried on. I’m thankful for the process of growth that I’ve experienced this year. The progress, the setbacks, and the doubts were all learning experiences that helped me better myself and sharpen my focus.
[tweetshare tweet=”Growth is learning from your progress, setbacks, and doubts.” username=”2n$28p1ijG!jkr6qAqbM5JM&XPcH%QfD:1:0″]
I love talking about intuition (click here and here for earlier posts). This year, intuition helped me avoid some potentially sticky situations. I had opportunities that appeared to be awesome on the outside. My support system would give me the green light of approval, but I couldn’t knock the feeling that something wasn’t right.
Intuition reminded me to trust my decision-making. That feeling keeps nagging at me for a reason. Clearly, it’s trying to tell me something, right?
[tweetshare tweet=”You can ignore your intuition, or you can take heed. Choose wisely.” username=”2n$28p1ijG!jkr6qAqbM5JM&XPcH%QfD:1:0″]
I understood the importance of having a support system long ago. I needed people around me who had my best interest in mind, even if their honesty was brutal. This year, I learned another lesson about my support system:
[tweetshare tweet=”A successful support system is about quality, not quantity. ” username=”2n$28p1ijG!jkr6qAqbM5JM&XPcH%QfD:1:0″]
I had a small support system of 5-6 people initially. When I reached out those 5-6 people, only 2-3 would always show up. What was the point of having those extra people if I can’t depend on them?
RuPaul/Giphy.com
After trimming the fat, my support system now consists of 2-3 people. When I was too stubborn to listen to their thoughts and opinions, they could’ve let me drown in my stubbornness. Instead, they waited patiently for me to get my shi*t together. They cheered for me when I couldn’t cheer for myself. Most importantly, they genuinely care about my well-being.
My appreciation for these people runs deeper than words can express. I’m thankful for all that they’ve done and continue to do for me.
The Universe went out of her way to throw some curveballs my way this year. When I decided that I wanted to “Stay Ready” this year, I’m convinced that Universe not only heard me, but she was testing me.
I would get thisclose to checking off a goal and then WHAM, an unexpected expense would pop up. Don’t you hate that? I could approach this situation in two ways:
One: I could wave the white flag of defeat and wallow in my failure.
Two: I can figure out how I can check off the goal AND how I can handle the unexpected expense without it negatively affecting me.
I ain’t gonna lie (yes, you read that right), it’s way easier for me to wave the white flag of defeat than it is to carry on. But because I promised myself that I was going to make this goal happen, I’m hellbent on seeing it through.
Here’s where persistence comes in.
Persistence is a skill that I didn’t always appreciate. Why? Because it required me to keep going, even when I would rather throw my hands up and quit. But, when I want something, I want something. I do research, create a master plan, and even a few “just in case” contingency plans.
[tweetshare tweet=”I refuse to allow anyone and anything, including myself, to get in the way of what I want in life.” username=”MsWalton”]
A friend of mine was tweeting about her upcoming December graduation. She mentioned that it felt like she had been in college forever. After congratulating her on seeing the light at the end of that very, very long tunnel, my spirit was moved to tweet out some words of encouragement.
It took me 10 years to get my degree. Had to stop because I wasn't ready. Lived life, finally went back. Wouldn't change it for the world.
There are so many detours in your way, that you lose sight of your path of travel. I was a freshman in 2000 but I spent so much time not going to classes that I was voted off the academic island in 2002. Even though I was suspended from attending any four-year institution for five years, I didn’t let that discourage me from my goal of finishing school before I turned 30.
So I enrolled in community college as a part-time student May 2003. While working full-time, I graduated July 2007. Yes, it took me four years and two months to finish community college. But you know what? I finished and that’s all that matters. By the time I graduated, my suspension period was over. I applied for admission in a four-year university for the Fall 2008 semester.
I got accepted. At the time, I was 27 years old.
I carried a full course load Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Summer 2009, and Fall 2009. Insane doesn’t even begin to describe my physical and mental state during that time. Stress from the course load made me sick every semester. At some point, I had surgery on my wrist, came home, and wrote an essay that was due that evening. Don’t judge me.
On December 19, 2009 at 2 p.m. EST, I graduated from Old Dominion University. I was 27 years old.
I’m thankful everyday that I went through this. Without struggle, I wouldn’t be aware of my own strength.
And that, ladies and gentleman, is worthy of an applause.
Petty behavior can block blessings. If it hasn’t happened to you, I’m sure you know of someone this has happened to. Here’s a scenario. Your best friend has a major life event happening. You would love to attend the event, however, financial constraints won’t allow that to happen.
You explain this to your friend, hoping that he/she will understand your situation. No such luck. Instead, your friend proceeds to explain that if you really wanted to attend the event, you would move whatever mountains were in the way to make it happen.
Insensitive? Yes.
It’s bad enough that you can’t attend the event but to have the person that you care about so much basically tell you that you aren’t shit for not being there for him really stings. Granted, this is going to be a sore spot for a while but focus on what you have. Be grateful for having this person in your life. Do you know how hard it is to find a loyal person these days? Yes it sucks that your best friend can’t be there for you this one time, but cherish all the moments that you two got to share.
Instead of zeroing in on this one particular let down, be grateful for what you do have. Being petty won’t get you far. Choose what matters and live accordingly.
One of my favorite people on Twitter, XD, proposed the #XD31 Days of Gratitude December Writing Challenge to his followers. Starting Dec 1, participants will be writing to simply give thanks and show gratitude to someone/something. Use the hashtag #XD31 so others can follow along and possibly get inspired.
