“What is wrong with you?”

I’ve been gone a while. I haven’t been writing and went through a period where I wasn’t posting on my socials. For every passing day, the question kept ringing in my head…”what is wrong with you?” I’ve tried this blogging thing too many times to count and haven’t developed a consistent posting schedule. Crying and praying became a habit because I love encouraging others but my lack of consistency discouraged me. Each wind of new “writer’s” excitement was followed by self-doubt and disappointment that I’d somehow managed to slack off again. I felt I was one step further from mastering the concept of mastery. Through my paralyzing perspectives, parasitic relationships and insecurity, I placed limits on my growth. I imprisoned my mind and was willing to give up the the journey toward mastery.

Before writing this post, I went through countless conversations within myself and with loved ones on whether I should wipe this blog entirely and begin again with a brand new blog or simply delete my old posts. I obviously opted to delete my old posts. I allowed my perspectives to be influenced by past failures, causing a delay in freeing my mind. I was embarrassed that I’d have to introduce myself again. Isn’t that a major part of the process and journey to mastery? Making bad decisions, choosing the wrong people to occupy an ounce of space in your life, seeing the world and ultimately, making a mess of things? We don’t learn to master anything without mastering our minds first and we cannot master our mind without changing our limiting beliefs and perspectives.

“Your perspective can either be your passport or your prison.”- Pastor Steven Furtick (Elevation Church)

I love and (choose to) forget to live by the above quote. More often than not we allow our circumstances to shape our perspectives – creating a metaphoric passport toward accomplishing our goals or a never-ending cycle in a self-loathing prison. I’ve noticed a trend when I take too much time away from my craft(s). I often find myself feeling hopeless in my career and relationships. It’s time to get your life back!

Use these four tips to shift your perspective:

  1. Think in terms of “lifetime.” A couple of years ago while working at Disney, I was trying to figure out a creative way to make an unhappy Guest feel better, and found myself consumed with anxiety. A Disney friend of mine (shout out to Rachel) literally said, “in the course of a lifetime, what will it matter?” It freed me that day and continues to come to mind at least weekly in my personal and professional life. We spend more time worrying about problems than solving them, and truly…in a course of a lifetime what will it really matter? The answer, it won’t. When we take on this approach we are able to free up mental space (or “mental real-estate” as my boyfriend Jon puts it) for happier, healthier possibilities.
  2. Be your own biggest cheerleader, not your greatest critic. In a world so focused on success, we can’t help but find ourselves critiquing before celebrating. Manage to find something to celebrate everyday and if you’re struggling, it might be time to evaluate your goals. Embrace new hobbies and cheer yourself on as you grow in them. Small hills lead to higher mountains for conquering. When you take the time to celebrate yourself you’ll create more challenging goals.
  3. Stand up for what’s right. You are no longer a victim of your past. Reshape your perspective to embrace standing up for yourself, others and what you believe in. We all run the risk of gradually hating who we are, when we aren’t true to our core. Are you slowly imprisoning your truest self? Also, standing up for what’s right doesn’t mean limiting your ability to embrace others for who they are, it simply means you set healthy boundaries in all relationships.
  4. Serve. There’s nothing better than serving someone else when you’re perspective is in a funk. GO SERVE…NOW! Extend your time and energy toward someone you feel might need encouragement. If you don’t have time to volunteer, reflect on 10 people in your contacts that you can send a funny message to, make their day. Not only will you feel good knowing you added sunshine to someone’s situation, you’ll feel motivated to cultivate your own happiness.

I’ve arrived. I’d like to say hi again, for real this time. Hi to you, the reader who continues to follow my blog and social media platform each time I’m committed but eventually find myself on a hiatus. Hi to you, the reader, struggling to find your place in the world. Hi to you, the reader on the path toward your dreams who simply needs a sprinkle of encouragement along the way. I’m human, I’m flawed (believe it or not :)) but this time it’s going to be a festive, fun and faith-filled ride…let’s get started.