What Are Your Birthrights?
Posted on June 29, 2021 Leave a Comment
On occasion, I’ve seen Cam scan future readings after our daily devotion. Today, he asked me the definition of a word not in today’s reading. He asked, “what does birthright mean?” After confirming the word he was asking about, I replied, “something that is automatically yours.” Next, in a mumbled voice, he asked, “what else is my birthright?” As my mind searched for more answers, I said joy, knowledge, and wisdom. Then, I added free from anger (long-suffering anger).
I felt clarity and excitement rising within me because I knew God brought on the conversation. Several years ago, I wrote a post about how thankful I was for the chance to raise a boy into a respectful, God-loving man.
(side note: I just thought about how God provides win-win experiences. Not only am I using today’s breakfast and devotion conversation to post my daily notes on life, but I was reminded of the wonderful opportunity I have to raise a son who honors and respects life.)
There was a point in my life when I was afraid to have children because of all the violence I kept hearing and seeing in the world, but then I exchanged fear for courage. I know what it’s like to feel disrespected, so I hungered for the chance to deposit something in the world, making it a better place. Yet, I aim to parent with balance, letting our children exercise their free will.
So, what is your birthright? I can think of eight right now.
- You have the right to live your life unopposed by others.
- You have the right to voice your concerns, fears, hurts, and others.
- You have the right to protect your body from unwanted touches.
- You have the right to your personal space.
- You have the right to privacy.
- You have the right to compassion, forgiveness, grace, joy, love, mercy, peace, purpose, truth, and understanding, all freeing virtues.
- You have the right to do what you love.
- You have the right to have the family you want.
What do you believe are your birthrights?
Thanks for reading!
Timika
Make this lifetime great! You deserve it. Please share this post if you believe it would help someone, and subscribe to my quarterly empowering newsletters.
Like & Share
How Do You Create The Circle Of Influence You Need After A Traumatic Experience?
Posted on June 28, 2021 2 Comments
We are in the last few days of June. In the last week of the month, I focus on resources for whatever topic I am discussing. Whatever you are going through, I want you to know you are not alone. Whatever support you feel you don’t have , you can create, for every moment in darkness, a light is available to lead you to your healing path.
During and after an unwanted event, it’s easy to feel like you are alone. Although family surrounded me during my childhood sexual abuse experience, fear, guilt, and shame kept me imprisoned in a dark secret. I felt as though I was in a maze with no way out.
Childhood sexual abuse is not the only experience that brings anger, betrayal, darkness, guilt, resentment, and shame. Any experience that violates our divine rights to dignity and respect can bring darkness.
What I forgot was I am not alone. My voice and my body matter.
No matter what you have gone through or going through, please know that you are not alone. You just haven’t found the person who can help show you your light, and it’s not your fault when people are not ready to heal their pain. I know you may feel like you are in the dark, but your light is still there, waiting for you to recognize it.
After the abuse, I stood between the crevice of my bed and my dresser and looked at the sky. The next thing I knew, I said I want to be aligned with nature. A series of events took place, including reading the entire King James Bible, learning the Lord’s prayer, and identifying with Jesus’ story and admiration for his character traits. Jesus loved in the face of betrayal, healed in the face of disbelief, and showed compassion where there was hate and judgment.
How do you create your circle of influence?
- Understand how priceless you are. There is no one like you in the world, and others’ actions do not reduce your worth.
- Speak your truth no matter who is not ready to hear it, and keep speaking your truth until you are heard and the matter is dealt with.
- Focus on who want to be. Seek empowering stories of those who moved forward despite their experiences through different mediums (books, blogs, songs, television, seminars, webinars, etc.). No one said that all of the people in your circle of influence have to be living. Observe others’ behavior before you include them in your circle of influence. Learn from others. Who do you want to be and not be?
- Focus on your dreams. I held on to my childhood dreams of traveling the world, living in Saint Louis, living in my own apartment, and having a family someday.
- Spend time in self-reflection every day. I spent a lot of time admiring nature’s stillness, pondering my mother’s words of wisdom, learning about the impact & lingering effect of unhealed wounds, and attuning myself to the Voice Within Me.
- Become what you didn’t have. If people didn’t support you while you were going through it, be supportive. If people didn’t believe you, be trustworthy. If people didn’t listen to your voice, listen. If people avoided your personal space, be respectful of others. If others didn’t speak loving words to you, lift someone else with a kind word. You become what you give. We don’t have to repeat the cycle of pain. Instead, we choose to create a cycle of love.
Make this lifetime great! You deserve it. Please share this post and subscribe to my quarterly empowering newsletters.
Timika
Like & Share
Why Don’t Diets Lead To Sustainable Health?
Posted on June 26, 2021 Leave a Comment
Within a year of having my second child, I gained over 50lbs. The last thing on my mind was my weight increase. I was working from home full-time and the primary caregiver for two children under the age of three. I could have excused my additional weight by saying all the above things, including “I just had a baby,” but I knew I couldn’t excuse my behavior and circumstances. I stopped doing the one thing I knew should be at the top of my list. I put a halt to self-care.
If I didn’t get my weight under control, I knew it would be harder to lose weight at 200 pounds or more. So, after some trial and error with my exercise plan & routine, I banked on what I knew. I loved walking, and I had success losing weight before. I also thought about the legacy I wanted to leave, and my children reminded me that I wasn’t born overweight or obese. My actions and inactions led me to where I was.
I was never a diet person. Even as a diabetes educator, coach, and nurse, I promoted eating balanced and proportioned meals. The word diet has restrictions all around it, but I supported other’s decisions if they wanted to know more about a certain diet or meal plan. I wanted sustainable optimal health, and I knew that there was no quick way about it. I had heard too many stories of people gaining their weight back after having surgery or being on a diet. In many cases, they gained their weight back and then some. I
I am not totally against the use of diets. I know that any change in our behavior starts with the mind first. It is critical to understand the purpose of food and our body. Now, I love food. I love trying new food and cooking.
Here are five reasons I believe diets don’t lead to sustainable health.
- Your body is not a machine. It changes throughout life. The work you do to maintain your health is self-care.
- Diets, like medications, weren’t meant to be a cure.
- Your body requires certain nutrients. For example, your brain thrives on sugar to work effectively. I use themed meals to increase my chances of getting the right amount of nutrients. For example, Mondays and Fridays are Omega-3 days for my family and me.
- When you are more focused on meal plans, calorie restrictions, aka the process of eating, you are less in tune with your body and what it’s telling you.
- Calorie-counting and avoiding your favorite foods can be stressful. And with stress comes cortisol, which promotes fat storage, increased blood sugars, and other potentially harmful consequences.
Sometimes, like medications, we may need some additional help getting us back on track. But sustainable health means getting to the cause of our behavior. Our circumstances do not control our eating; we do.
Mental well-being thrives on getting to the root of why we do the things we do. When we negate the root of our behavior in one area of our life, we are more likely to do so in other areas (i.e., coping with trauma and expressing our pain).
Self-mastery, controlling what you eat, how you eat, how much, and where, is the foundation of sustainable health.Â
Thanks for reading my post!
Make this lifetime great! You deserve it. Please share this post and subscribe to my quarterly empowering newsletters.
Timika
