How Full is Your Basket

Ashes Sitoula @awesome

How full is your basket? Recently I was having one of my low moments and I realized that all the things I was concerned about does not identify who I am.  Therefore, I decided to put my thoughts in a mental basket and allow myself to see that what’s in the basket does not define who I am, but it’s a part of who I am.  We need to stop making hasty decisions based on one feeling, one incident, or one wrong turn.  A lot of what we are experiencing is caused by our anxiety, our failures, our hopes and dreams, or our past mistakes.  It’s okay to allow those feelings to go through your body as long as you don’t stay in that place.

With the excitement and the pressure that the New Year brings most of us feel that this is a great time to start new projects.  But not necessarily!  Don’t get caught up in the New Year, New You phenomenon. For most people this should be a time of reflection on what worked, what did not work, and the changes we need to make moving forward.  When you look at your basket you need to be able to see it as something outside of you and not see it as you.  When I gathered my thoughts and concerns and put them in my basket, I must say that my basket was full.  However the great thing about that was, I was able to separate the basket from me.  I could look at it when I needed to or felt like looking at it.  I could also leave it sitting there altogether.  I could add items as they came to mind, and that in itself removed the thought or concern from the immediate forefront of my mind.  It’s almost like writing down what needs to get done.  Once you release it on paper you are no longer bound by your thoughts.  So, is your basket full?  If it is then that’s a good thing. It simply means that you have transferred your thoughts to a place outside yourself where you can deal with them at your leisure.

Brave Enough to Break Your Own Heart

 @simmonmigaj

How many times has your heart been broken? Not just by the opposite sex.  What about having your heart broken by your children, your boss, or by your dreams?  When it comes to reaching for the moon we tend to hesitate, because we think that if we don’t make it we have failed.  There are so many things that I have done or started to do that broke my heart.  But I learned so much about who I am and what I am capable of getting done under pressure.  Just because you fail at something does not mean that you are a failure.  Failure teaches you what not to do and/or what needs to be done differently.  Most of the time failure prepares the way for a smoother ride going forward. We allow others to break our hearts and we continue to survive, so why are we so afraid to be brave enough to break our own hearts?

When I did my book tour this year I was so psyched it was unbelievable. However, when I ended up visiting two states instead of four, I never considered it a failure.  The knowledge, the exposure, and the momentum that I gained simply by having my name out there was indescribable.  Now doors are opening for future collaborations in the year 2018.  Remember, everything you go through is preparing you for now or later.  No time is wasted if you look at life from a learning perspective and realize that things happen at the right time.  In addition, I have people who have watched me grow over the years and are now asking me to speak.  If you put in the work eventually you will reap the benefits.  Patience and persistence will always create results.