Moving Past Limitations

Seeking solace

I used to write when I was a teenager. It was how I learned to maneuver my way through the twist and turns of adolescence as well as an outlet from academics, peer pressures, failures, self defeat and other childhood and young adult issues.

It was my refuge, my safe place to express my thoughts and emotions about any and every thing that I faced. It was the light that brightened up a dark day and the joy that took the place of the sorrow from disappointment. It was the smile after a successful moment and the promise of peace before ending an event filled day.

Writing as an escape

After many years of writing, I didn’t really grasp the possibilities until I become a college student. It was in those moments that a creative writing class became more than just a requirement for graduation but a training ground for me to…

• Hone in on my gifts
• Enhance my skills
• Embrace the freedom of expression that was there for me to partake in

Many years passed as I read the work of other authors, while at the same time writing plays, fiction stories, short stories. and poems all inspiring and awakening the natural gifts within me. Filling up the memory of floppy disc drives, desktop computers, laptop computers, jump drives, and external hard drives, I stored it all away. I was oblivious to the possibilities. Regardless of the talent that I had been blessed with, I chose to keep it hidden, thinking it was really something to keep to myself for myself.

Sharing my talent

It was not until someone very dear to me said “You have so many poems. Why don’t you put them in a book?” My excuses meant nothing as I was then told, “I want to see you write a book.” I could not let her down but I had to get to a moment in my life when I could decide to let go of all of the anxieties about putting myself out there and just do it.

Little did I know that making such a decision would change the course of my life, allowing me the opportunity to live the life that I have always desired. Empowering people through my work and my gifts touches a part of my spirit that I had kept hidden for so long.

“In Pursuit of Purpose, Empowering Women to Live Beyond Their Limitations” is just that, an example of how I moved past my limitations. using my gifts to pursue my purpose.

I had come to realize that instead of sharing my gift with the world, I had chosen to keep it hidden. Fear of failure, ridicule, and lack of acceptance were subconscious emotions that took root. Writing this book gave me permission to be free…

• To think
• To feel
• To act
• To believe
• To dream 
• To be exactly who I am

I now realize how I was limiting myself. In just a short period of time my willingness to use my gifts has broadened by perspective and placed me on a higher playing field than I had thought possible.

Use your gift

If you have a gift, use it. Figure out a way to walk in it every day. Someone is waiting on you. There is something that will not get accomplished if you don’t get involved. It is amazing who or what you can impact through your gifts. When you operate in your gifts, not only will you get confirmation, but you will experience a new level of blessings in your own life.

The beauty in every new day is that the opportunity for you to live intentionally is still present. Regardless of every struggle, setback, obstacle, or pain, you have been given the light of day to seek to see clearly how you should live out your life on purpose.

Live your life with purpose

So how did I do this? Before the start of each day, I committed to spending time in quiet meditation to focus my mind on the most important tasks of the day.

•  I had to seek to prioritize so that I could eliminate the possibility of stress and frustration.
• I had to work to bring order to the chaos that often erupted when I failed to plan.

Sometimes it was tough to walk throughout the day with a spirit of gratitude and not underestimate the blessings that I had been given to live, to move, and to breathe in each day. I set out to be excellent in every word that I spoke, every step that you took, and every action that I participated in. I decided to be an example of how to embrace the beauty in every new day!

Life teaches us that we must take charge of the things that happen around us. Once we grow and mature, we must no longer take the easy way out by not working to achieve our goals. I learned that we have every opportunity in every day to exist in who we were meant to be. I am responsible for my own life outcomes and I had to make a decision to live it by using my talents skills, and abilities daily.

Don’t worry about judgment, fear, or failure. There will always be naysayers, but what do you say?

• What does your spirit say?
• What do you hear when you get up from your knees after praying?
• What do your feel about your life purpose in those quiet moments of reflection?

Don’t waste any more time. Get to the business of doing what you are supposed to do and do it with all that is within you. That is the recipe for success!