Akosua Dardaine Edwards's Blog, page 105

Homeward Bound

“No matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid. ”—Lupita Nyong’o. 



Thank you Guyana, I had a wonderful experience being there and seeing your bold ambition of being a green state.
Many people think your vision for a fully green state is crazy. I think that is one reason why I'm on board.
I believe all our dreams ought to be Huge, dreams ought to make you feel excited, it ought to stretch you.
This is a concept which although not new is not fully seen in this part of the world, additionally Guyana just found oil so it is easy for them to neglect the green part of everything
So I take back the lessons of dreaming big and going for it no matter of others believe that I am crazy as hell
Dream Big
Peace

Have you read any of Akosua's work?What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self LoveNyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal
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Adventure on the Essiquibo

When you have an intact, healthy sense of worth, you value other people. You realize that people are different. You understand that people see things and interpret things in different ways. You do not compare yourself to them, nor do you feel the need to compete with them. You know who you are, which means you can accept others as they are .Until Today

I decided to take in the towns off the Essquibo River yesterday, as usual asked no questions
We cross the river using a very huge and long draw bridge onto "the other side" drove for about another hour and there we were on a pier. Ok, so far so good.
Then I saw the boat that I would be entering to cross this river, which by the way is so huge! Seems smaller compared to the Nile, maybe it was my extreme concern about the boat
The boat was a small wooden structure that held a maximum of ten people - to me 7 too much
The captain said the wood never sinks, whatever happens the boat will float!
Well I have none of that type of wood in me so what's going to happen to me?
Thanks for the tip cap!

I got on the boat and we took off to 4 small towns, I am amazed at the simple life that still extists, people were chilling in their hamocks with their families, talking and laughing in the first town
The second town was where they say the gold is! it was bustling and busy, boats at the dock were in and out, people were on a mission
The third, Sloth Island was peaceful and calm, I really enjoyed that stop
We stopped at a waterfall next, the water was brown, they told me its because of the minerals. I will accept that, just wont be bathing in it, no offence!
Then it was time to leave
The tide rose, I looked at the wood, I reminded myself that the wood will float
The Captain said we would have to go slow as the water is too rough
A river yall? With waves?
We spent 2 hours on that river, it was rough literally and every other way
Nightfall hit, the place was pitch black, I started singing songs to take my mind off the fear
David Rudder was the choice!
I was so happy to touch land, I cannot even begin to explain!

One more day in Guyana, the adventure continues
Peace

Guyana Green Expo Day 5

some days i show up by candlelight, and other days as a wildfire . Diamond Dorris

I was scheduled to conduct a workshop yesterday. I kept asking all day about the logistics, I was told that it would be done. The time ticked by, I still kept asking. Just at the end of the day I was told to come to a particular place at 4pm. I arrived and the spot wasn't ready, there was nothing in place.
Ok then, so do I light a fire or not? I decided to be kind.
What are the options?
They had none
Can you come up with some options?
They came up with three options
What is the best option?
They mention what they believe the best option and I accepted.
The workshop will go on tomorrow
Once the workshop is completed I will have a word about the organisation, the big picture is the workshop.
How many times have I not kept the big picture in mind and get caught up in the minor details? The minor details are just that, minor. The means towards the end are important. Leaving the ego out is important, leaving the feeling of being embarrassed out is important, acting out in fear usually leads to a hot mess!
Wish me luck today

Peace

Guyana Green Expo Day 4

Attitude and perspective is everything. If you’re a pessimist, then you have negative thoughts that won’t go away no matter what the odds are. If you’re a realist, you are just coming to terms and accepting a situation rather than feeling like it was yours or someone else’s fault. Bolde


What is the difference between stating what is and what it should be?
What is the difference between showing anger and being negative?
What is the difference between being nosy and showing concern?

I ask myself these questions quite a bit, particularly in times where I realise that I am on the verge of getting annoyed.or feeling resentful.
I have learnt that intention plays such a huge part in what we do, even unintentionally. That is to say if we set no intention for what we are doing our subconscious takes over, whatever we are thinking consciously or subconsciously reflects itself in our reality.

The other thing that I learnt is that bringing in opinions based on past hurt, trauma and issues will move it from the facts to what we think it should be. I am testing the theory to see how it works
I check myself, I check my language, I check my feelings, I check my intentions. Sometimes I know right away that I have crossed the line to negative and nosy behaviour, especially when I use the check list. And then there are other times I have to be reminded, some brave souls remind me that I am or I have crossed. (I appreciate y'all!)

So, all in all, lessons on the Journey have taught me to state my intention, even if it is to myself before I do anything. The best intention I have found is the one where I state that I show up real and do my absolute best, I show up and be present with no judgements allowing the Universe to use me as it sees fit
With that intention I am able to see when I have stepped over the line!
I told my friend yesterday - the hip hop era was on to something when they said "Check yourself before you wreck yourself"

So I am here at the Expo asking myself these questions because there are some things that are concerning me about the preparation and execution. I have committed to continuing to show up nd do my best no matter what!

Peace

Guyana Green Expo Day 3

The right people hear you differently - Lalah Delia


Today was the day that all the politicians and the rest of technocrats were scheduled to be present. They called it the formal part! I was interested to see the Guyanese version of formalities. Why? It seems that many former colonies of Britain all have this way they behave at formal political and Government functions. Confessions on the Journey - I am so over it! It seems ancient to me and there are so many ways to show respect to an office and a person, there are so many ways to host a function, there are so many ways to show love for country but adoption and adaptation of old school rules, Anyways I digress

The commitment made by the Guyanese government  to transform and be a green economy by 2040 is commendable, it is to be applauded and congratulated. They have managed to mesh their discovery of oil and gas with the vision to be green in the midst of it all. Well done to them, I was indeed heartened and inspired by this bold move, I am also happy to play a small part in this transformation

I also met some lovely people today as well.
Peace

Guyana Green Expo Day 2

Until today, you may not have realized that you have the power to reshape and redefine any experience Iyanla


I am in Guyana to facilitate sessions at this Conference and appear on a panel - that is all I know
The agenda I have't seen - not because I haven't asked, I have asked and was told that the agenda is shifting and will be given the details tonight. I let go immediately the fear and need to be in control, the Universe is obviously talking to me. As soon as I let go, my gracious host asked if I wanted to go into town to do errands in preparation for the workshop. I jumped at the opportunity, after all, what else would I do back at the conference centre?
We took a taxi into town, the capital of Guyana is called Georgetown , they call where we were going "Town Town" a combination of wide tree lined streets, old historic buildings and loads of people on the streets selling, shopping, standing and talking. The vibes was high, the sun was so hot we abandoned all attempts to walk to go anywhere and jumped into a taxi who thought he was running a party car, the driver turned up the music so loud! We asked for it to be turned down, he wasn't best pleased so we got out of the car and walked for a bit, then had to abandon that idea once again.
We ended the "town town" tour at a Fish and Chips spot for lunch, plaintain chips too! It was delish!
Give thanks for the opportunity to see the town from a local's perspective,
Let's see if I get the agenda later on today!

Peace

Have you read any of Akosua's work?What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self LoveNyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal
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Guyana Green Expo Day 1

What you do for your highest good, for your own well being, is going to be good for everyone else. It will be a bit scary at first, but in the end, you will feel a lot better. You will be clear. You will have put everyone on notice.  Iyanla


This my first time in Guyana, this is the first time I am asked to facilitate this type of workshop, Confessions on the Journey - I felt a tad bit overwhelmed, I looked at the panel and thought wowee, this is different to my usual get on the mic and speak sort of thing, anyways, having said that I will show up ready!

The flight was short and sweet, the driver assigned to take me to the hotel seemed to me to be a lovely person, we had a very lively and funny conversation on the hour drive to the hotel. I was told that there would be a meeting at the hotel  going on when I arrive so join in.

I put the bags down and headed to the "meeting", it was a full on production of the Expo happening. The room was full of people, boxes everywhere, snacks, pens, bags, books. A production line was set up to stuff bags, I joined in, we filled over 200 bags, then we drive over to the stadium, and took a detour to the Massy Stores Supermaket because I forgot my toothbrush (the currency here got me chuckling, how can a toothbrush be $600 bucks y'all?) Anyways, that is their funny money.
The stadium was also buzzing, tents were being put up, solar panels being added, food stalls were driving in
I am so happy that I was invited, that I have been given the opportunity to share my lessons on the Journey
I will be here for 8 days and will definitely make the most of it
I just realised I don't remember any of the ladies names n the bag stuffing line yet we shared long conversations and jokes!!
Peace

Do You Know Your Triggers?

Do the Work - Iyanla

Do you know what your triggers are? I'm talking about the things that piss you off when spoken, said and done because you haven't dealt with an issue, something you know is causing you to be defensive  to the point of shutting down?

Are there certain people that just piss you off, you think for no good reason? You think its because they were born.
I am of the view that there is always a reason, always a back story

I started realising that some things and some people trigger me, I decided to pay attention
I decided to face the honest brutal truth that they trigger me for a couple of reasons, I get jealous, I judge them and I don't want to deal with a back story, a memory from the past that got me angry that I had pushed to the back of my mind.
I strongly believe that we have responsibility for our choices, our responses, the moment we start blaming others and justifying our choices by saying its someone else who made us do it, then we start giving away our power and projecting onto others.
Awareness, acknowledgement and taking responsibility is the work
Avoidance is not the work! Thinking it will go away on its own is not the work
Facing it with the knowledge that going through the discomfort knowing that on the other side a decision will be made to push you forward, even though it may not be an easy decision is the work
Peace

Have you read any of Akosua's work?What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self LoveNyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal
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Tough Conversations are...Tough

Learning that you can’t control the other person’s reaction, and that it can be destructive to try, can be incredibly liberating. It not only gives the other person the space to react however they need to, but also takes a huge amount of pressure off you. You will learn things about yourself based on their reaction, but if you are prepared to learn, you’ll feel free from the desperate need for their reaction to go one certain way.”  Douglas Stone



Tough conversations are.....well tough!

They take so much courage and quite a bit of willingsness to be vulnerable.
Many of us prefer not to be vulnerable and to remain safe. It seems safer to remain where we are than run the risk of being seen as weak or as confrontational or whatever story we make up to validate not facing up to what we need to face up to
I am one that absolutely avoids confrontation, I cannot stand it, so courageous conversations are truly a huge lesson for me
What I have learnt though is this
1. Say what you want to say with love and a pure intention to get it off your chest rather than to prove someone wrong and prove yourself right
2. Say it in the best way that you would want to hear it
3. Say it and leave out the judging of everything
4. Expect the Unexpected
and....
Practice
Show Up
and Forgive


Peace

Have you read any of Akosua's work?What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self LoveNyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal
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Go Where You Bloom

Because you are
a living being — you need to always be where you can grow, thrive, and feel nourished. Lalah Delia

Many times we stay, we stay and make up reasons and rationale and justifications about why we stay, why we cannot leave, why being where we are is where we are supposed to be, about the sacrifice and the struggle.
Granted, there are some times that the lesson is in the "staying" the lesson is about patience and discipline and surrender.
And then there are times the lesson is in letting go, is in trusting and having faith and willingness to let go and to take risks
When you are getting sick all the time - it's time to be in a place where you are able to bloom
When you are sad most of the time - it's time to be in a place where you can bloom
When you are making up excuses and justifications both to yourself and others - it's time to be in a place where you can bloom
When you are escaping through food, drugs, sex, shopping, medication- it is time to be in a place where you can bloom
You are a living thing
A place with no oxygen will cause you to die
And a place to bloom includes the mental space.
I love the term "be willing" because it denotes that one is ready to give something new a chance
The Universe is self correcting and speaks to us all the time through the lives we live
There is nothing we can do to deny our blessings but there are things we can do to get in the way of them being manifested.
Peace

Have you read any of Akosua's work?What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self LoveNyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal
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