It is not falling into a river that causes us to drown. It is staying in the river after the fall. ~ Unknown
The Boss Ladies Team and I recently concluded the Time To Boss Up 4.0 workshop. This session really set me thinking because I honestly never saw this hidden talent of speaking or teaching, despite wanting to be a teacher for most of my childhood. Ironically, my childhood aspiration was short lived after I saw this lady walk past my mum and I one day while sitting in the bank lobby waiting for a loans officer. I would never forget that day as I was mesmerized; I had never seen a woman look so eloquent or walk so gracefully in my life before. Her outfit was stunning and her hair was styled to perfection. That day, my childhood dream to teach was ousted and I wanted to become whatever she was (true story).
Fast forward to my many years now as a corporate executive, walking confidently into boardrooms all over the world and gracing many stages to share both my leadership and life lessons, I wonder if all was truly lost in achieving my childhood dream.
At this point, my reflections continued to wander as I realize that my gift to speak, influence and positively impact others comes from a place of purpose, deeply rooted in my personal and professional experiences. I asked myself this question “are all these hardships I face on this journey part of God’s plan so that I can continue to share with others from a place of authority, while showing up authentically?”
God knows I have been through more than the average cookie but one thing is for sure, God’s grace continues to carry me and shape who I am and how I show up on life’s journey. After all, He did promise that His grace will be sufficient for me.
Overcoming Growing Pains
The more I think about it, the more convinced I become that someday I will share my story and how the enemy has attempted on so many occasions to derail my destiny. But here’s what I came to share with you today….
Your journey to success and ultimate fulfillment is not a linear path; there will be many challenges that life will throw at you and the real power is in how you choose to respond and not allow your emotions to trigger you to react. It’s almost like the saying goes “every new level will produce a new devil.” Your bounce-back-ability (ability to come back stronger) will depend heavily on whether you embrace a growth mindset, which allows you to see beyond your current circumstances. We need to shift our perspective and realize that a life without challenges and a life without pain, is a life without growth! No one likes to encounter negative situations in life, trust me I know; yet in reality, this is part of the course of our growth.
The most important thing I can remind you in this season is that “the obstacles and setbacks we face along life’s journey don’t define us, we should allow them to refine us.” We owe it to ourselves to continue to shape our character, God-given potential and inner power as we reposition ourselves in the face of adversity to become the best version of ourselves.
Own Your Power
Thankfully, we are way more resilient than we think. Your ability to evolve beyond your circumstances or initial capacity comes down to your willingness to not only go through it, but to grow through the rigors of life.
Trust me when I tell you that your mindset matters! You must run the race to win. You have to see yourself as a winner and remember that the harder the race, the bigger the prize. See yourself as a Conquerer because this is how God sees you. You don’t have to be perfect to be a success. You just have to keep bouncing back from all that life throws at you. You must first have a passion to grow as this broadens your perspective and propels you into position.
When we encounter painful situations, we have to dig deep because pain has the ability to lead us towards a greater purpose which activates a new sense of faith, direction, passion and can even birth a renewed spirit of excellence.
Ultimately, owning your God-given power comes down to one of the guiding principles followed by Boss Ladies United; transformation begins with you and when you do. Wherever your focus goes is where your energy will flow. You must have the resolve to change your circumstances that no longer serve your desired future. It takes courage to change and while courage is frightening, courage has the power to completely transform your life. Making the decision to take one bold step of faith in the right direction, can offer a brighter picture and fuel your confidence to keep moving forward towards a brighter future.
So to anyone whose been feeling stuck right now or worst yet, crippled by your circumstances, know that the butterfly had to endure the stages of life to emerge stronger, more beautiful and even more spectacular. So can you! Reach deep and stop underestimating the power that lies within you to turn those lemons into the most beautiful lemonade.
Keep moving in your God-given power!
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