MORAL OF THE STORY: FORCING YA FUTURE
11/23/2017
I have 3 bad habits:
I control.
I force.
I rush.
For the past two weeks, these 3 things that I unintentionally do have consumed me. During that time, I was having a creative rush and I was really focused on building my career. I had all of these ideas coming all at once; it got to a point where my thoughts kept me up at night. I thought that I had to get everything done immediately because I was in a moment of staticity...
Ya girl doesn't like that feeling.
I saw all of these people around my age chasing their dreams and I was afraid that I would be stuck in this young, dumb, and broke stage forever. I felt like I was failing and I was running out of time. JANAYA WAS RUNNING FRANTIC, DARLING! It was tragic.
I went to a bible study/life group at the beginning of this week (s/o to TSU intervarsity) and it really opened my eyes. We read Isaiah 40:27-31; the verses talked about what happens when you rely on God and how you can’t do anything without having faith. I’ve always struggled with going with the flow and just letting God guide me. It’s easy to say but it’s hard to do especially when it comes to your career. I told the group about how overwhelmed I was about my future and they said that if i'm letting it consume me and forcing it then that means I don't believe that it'll actually happen. I thought about it and I realized that was true. My ambition was fueled by the fear of failure. A lot of good things came out of it like this blog and more great opportunities, but I still doubted my abilities and if I could actually deliver. This whole semester has been me questioning myself if I could still be the girl i've always been.
Moral of the story is...
#1: Don't let your thoughts consume you.
If you feel overwhelmed by something, then take a break from it. It doesn't mean you're slacking or giving up, you're just putting yourself first. Overworking and overthinking to the point of exhaustion is not good for your health. Just chill out, fam.
#2: Don't rush your process.
Yes, you have to put in effort to achieve your dreams. Yes, you don't get anything by just sitting and waiting for success to plop in your lap but you shouldn't speed up the journey or rush how you grow. You have plenty of time to build your career. You'll have plenty of opportunities that come your way. You'll have plenty of time to find the right person. Be patient. The work you put in will eventually shine. The love you give will be reciprocated.
#3: Don't force your future.
I think that this is my biggest struggle. I'm extremely independent, so I like to handle a lot of things on my own. I end up trying to force good and success into every aspect of my life especially when it comes to my career and my relationships. The outcome is always the same: me being more strung out than I was in the beginning. It's good to speak good things into existence, but forcing it? No. When you force something, you're usually trying to close up the spaces that could potentially be filled up with failure. Forcing stems from fear. It's basically like a fast forward button, but failure and mistakes are actually good for you. You can't grow if you've never experienced failure. If you've never made a mistake, you're perfect...and that's impossible. Allow yourself to bump into obstacles. Simmer down.
#4: Let go and FULLY let God.
Like I said, it's easy to say and hard to do, but you have to put your faith and trust in Him. We all get weary and feel unsure sometimes. It's okay! God will put things into your life in His way and on His time. Usually the things that you want for yourself, God gives you that 10x better than you could possibly imagine.
#5: Do not be afraid and believe in yourself.
You have a purpose. You have a reason for being on this earth. Don't be afraid to share your talents or your story. Self-doubt brings you down, man. Don't let yourself be an obstacle or a barrier hindering you from achieving your goals. Lift yourself up, my guy.
#6: Put your health first
Like I’ve said in many of these little key point sections, CHILL OUT! A lot of people believe that you have to be exhausted and constantly working to be a success. FALSE. You don’t have to tire yourself out just to be successful. When you simmer down, you think more rationally, your energy is good, and your ideas will flow a lot better. Honestly, you’re not gonna be able to function if your health isn’t in tact. Mental, physical, and emotional..you gotta maintain them.
With love,
Janaya.
