Sunday, January 18, 2015

Self-Love ♡ Sundays | To the Woman Who Taught Me How to Love Myself


I would not be the woman I am today without the force of this queen guiding me towards the woman I was born to be. The love she has for God, for her family, for others trumps the love she holds for herself-it is so wide and expansive-and I am beyond grateful that she was chosen to bring me into this world. In honor of her, I want to discuss, as briefly as I possibly can, my struggle to love myself and how the part my beautiful mommy continues to play in discovering myself.

For as long as I can remember, my mom would wake up at the crack of dawn to pray, dedicating her waking hours to meditate and honor God. When I was younger, I didn't understand the practice itself, but I know now that the faith my mom has is immaculate and I believe her prayers have saved my life many times. She is constantly striving to grow spiritually, actively welcoming God's presence into her space, which, actually, directly affects everyone who crosses her path.

She taught me that knowledge is power. Not only did she teach me this, she embodied it. Because of her, I know that my mind is my most powerful tool. She would always tell me that knowledge was the one thing I could acquire that no one could ever take away from me. Growing up, she made sure that my learning experiences extended the school curriculum through exposure to things beyond my immediate environment, no matter how much she and my dad had to sacrifice to make it so. 

There were many times where I didn't think I was smart enough to do certain things and rather than coaxing my insecurities, she'd say something along the lines of, 'It's only true if you believe it to be.' Although I knew she believed in me, her saying that implied that her belief alone would never be enough to make me achieve the goals I have. It challenged me to be disciplined and to find motivation within myself to write my own success story, not one that was birthed out of obligation.

Contrary to popular parenting, I was given the liberty to think for myself, invariably. Once I reached a certain age, she gave me room to make my own choices, allowing me to find my own path, make mistakes, and if a certain route didn't work, to get back up and try again. Even with all the accolades she has under her belt that I still don't think I could live up to in a lifetime, not once did she make me-or anyone else-feel less than.  I am very grateful for that freedom to just be myself, because as many times as I've encountered failure, I've always had the resiliency to bounce back and it taught me how to be independent in a way I would have never know otherwise.

Among a list of other life lessons, the most important thing I could have ever learned from my mom is how to love myself; how to be my own person and how to love who I am at every stage of my life. It's such a blessing to be loved by a woman like my mom. What an amazing woman! I can't imagine life without her (wouldn't dare try), but I'm more than honored that every day is a new opportunity to be her daughter.

I love you so much, mommy, my queen. 
H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y ! ! !

♥ (always) // @ChymereA


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Sunday, January 11, 2015

Self-Love ♡ Sundays | Believe in Abundance


Through much trial and error with investing so much of myself, my time, and my energy into things and people that weren't designed to benefit me, I've learned that when I am focused on improving self, everything else naturally falls into place.

When I'm aligned with my purpose, I don't have to stress about things that don't exactly go as planned nor do I have to doubt that my prayers are being heard, because I know that everything is moving in the right order, at its natural speed, even when I don't always see it working out. 

See, there is a huge difference between praying/waiting and begging. In my experience, I've never been placed in a position to beg for anything. When I willingly put myself in a begging position, it almost never worked out. If it did, it's becomes more of a lesson than a blessing and I had to learn how to stop being so desperate to make my plans fit where they don't necessarily belong.  

Once I was unable to see the bigger picture with my own eyes, I was almost forced to trust God and the process/struggle of my life over my own limited view. The moment I did is when the image in front of me became much more precise. That's when I was reminded that what God has in store for me is absolutely mine and no one on this earth can take it away from me. There's also no need or room for me to beg. At that point, I was able to handle my prayers with caution, because I may very well receive what I'm praying for and it may not always turn out to be what I expected it to be. It's not to say that I don't ask for certain things, but to imply that not everything we're given in this world requires a chase. 

Every person that walks your way ain't for you. Every opportunity is not yours to take advantage of. That doesn't mean people you've personally invited into your space are bad people nor does it make you stupid for opening your heart to them. Closed doors aren't an indication of some kind of hole in the universe or that you've somehow miss the chance to utilize your gifts and passions here on earth; it just means that everyone ain't for you and those "missed" opportunities just weren't yours to have in the first place.

In other words, stop thinking that just because things don't happen within your expectations that there is some kind of lack in the world around you. It's all about what you are actively see(k)ing. 

We have to learn how to take responsibility for the part we play in certain situations. All day long, people are hosting endless discussions about the lack of good men, the scarcity of employment, and what's the news or in the tabloids. Meanwhile, we pretty much convince ourselves that it just isn't enough good to go around; that love, happiness, success are only given to select few and the rest of us are left wishing on a star. I'm here to tell you that's not the case, because although tragic things do happen and bad people do exist, there is an abundance of goodness floating around universe, waiting for us to not only be ready and open enough to receive it, but to also believe in abundance itself.

Keeping that in mind, I don't worry/stress about who or what comes and goes anymore, because that's not my concern. All I have to focus on in this moment is the development of self; to grow, to learn, to cultivate the dreams in my heart, to appreciate the things/people I am already blessed with, and to allow the energy I put into myself to attract the goodness that I know is out there, designed especially for me. 



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