Akosua Dardaine Edwards's Blog, page 203

I knew you were waiting for me

When the river was deep I didn't falter
When the mountain was high I still believed
When the valley was low it didn't stop me, no no
I knew you were waiting.
I knew you were waiting for me
Aretha Franklyn (the queen!)

What's waiting for you on the other side of the mountain and the river?

There was a celebration after my Biting off the Apple NYC Book Tour- this was one of  the theme songs! "I knew you were waiting for me featuring Aretha Franlyn 

Waiting for me on the other side was a fulfilled dream, lovely people, support beyond measure and best best best of all, me feeling like I am enough! feeling and embracing my own awesome self!

I say this today to let you know to start it, whatever "it" is! Start and learn as you go! everything is of use! 
and share some of the lessons on the journey, I would love to hear from you!

According to Aretha "when I think of all those disappointments, I just laugh, I just laugh"

Peace!

Heading off again, stay tuned.....

Are you alone in your castle of glory?

Live a whole life .Work can be an important part of our lives, but we should never let it be how we define ourselves. Putting all your energy and resources into your work may feed your ego, but if you’re relationships are falling apart, your health neglected and your spiritual life ignored, you could end up sitting alone in your castle of glory. 
That jewellery you like to makeThe painting you sit with for hoursThe race you like to runThe tennis you like to playThe thing that you will do for free, that thing, that is why
Why are you here?To createTo live a life that contributes to the joy that is inside of youYour joyBecause when you do what brings you joy, you serve the world. You contribute to the creation of the world’s joy, you contribute to the lightYour gifts are the gateway to your greatness And all of us matter, We live from a place of littleness. Do not be content with littleness
Why am I really here?Why are you here?To serve, To create, to use your own personal god given powerYou have the right to be powerful and nobody gets the right to tell you how to do it but you. It starts with believing in those gifts
You have the right to be bold and bodacious and nobody cant tell you nuthin!What makes you come alive?And here’s the thing, you may never get an award, the Nobel Peace prize or invited to the diplomatic center but you will be at peace, a place of joy. You are changing lives around youYou are changing the world in your own way
Why am I here?To  share these lessons with youThank you for being part of the journeyBig big love and  blessings on your own journeyPeace!

There's more to life than making yourself small to make other people feel comfortable

until you stop apologizing for what you want and own it, it can't be yours. You'll be letting someone else run your life. And while that can seem safe and comfortable, we both know there is more in life than pleasing other people.

There's more to life than making yourself small to make other people feel comfortable.  Iyanla

What do you want? Is it a different job, a healthier relationship, a house on the beach, a trip around the world? to open your own business? What exactly do you want? Do you have a vision for it? Do you see it, smell it, taste it? Does it burn a fire inside you?
So what are you doing to realize these dreams? Are you putting in the work or are you putting it off because of the excuses you have made?

Are you heading towards it but making apologies for it because of fear and upsetting other folks?

Own it, make no apologies for realizing your heart's desires! Once it is with a good intention, things line up! I am not saying it is easy street, I am saying that the challenges which are part of the journey will be worth it!

So what you gonna do? 
Make excuses or make movements?
Your call!
Peace!!

What are you trying to tell me?

You are not being punished; you are being prepared.    Prepared for more love. Prepared for more impact. Prepared to inspire change in others. Prepared for more awareness. Prepared for your dreams. Mastin Kipp
Everything has use! Everything! One of my best ever lessons on the journey! 

The ups and the downs, especially the downs! Humans love to avoid pain and enhance pleasure but somehow most of the changes in our lives come from when we encounter some sort of difficult situations, some sort of pain or trauma. Many times because we have been ignoring the signs and prefer to avoid pain or hold on!
Your feelings are there for a reason, it is a sign post, it is usually a call to action to make a decision. Fear paralyses us! 

And the thing about acknowledging the feelings is that they come to pass, feel it and then its gone, and the next time you are in a situation you recognize it and say hey, I know you, and you do not ignore it until crisis hits. When you ignore it it comes back again and again like a bad smell!  

I am practicing today the "feel the feelings" dance! I am ready for it, going through it like a buffalo (buffaloes head straight into the storm and come out on the other side) I am sitting with it and asking
1. What is the lesson here?
2. What are you trying to tell me?
3. What am I ignoring that you are trying to get me to pay attention to?
4. What is the truth that I did not tell or did not live?
5. How can I tell a different empowering story?
6. How can I honor myself and own it?

Then I invite the creator in!

Peace

Join me today on the Everywoman Radio Programme where we share lessons on the journey  11am to 12noon

http://www.ebony104.com/

On the road again

We need never fear an honest approach to life. We need only fear our own resistance to true honesty, authenticity and faith in what love can do . Marianne Williamson

The Brooklyn Fan Club Luncheon was hosted me at a luncheon yesterday, I must say it was one of my most fun times since promoting the book! The love was evident! The ladies, it seemed, brought extra love in the house! The event happened in one of the ladies' back garden, the food was cooked with love, the place was buzzing! I felt right at home! And the lesson is what you give out you get back! So grateful to June and Kerlean for inviting me! These ladies, having never met me, read and discussed the book and decided to invite me to their house! As the Universe works, one of the ladies was from Trinidad, my home country, and as they say the rest is history.

NYC was a blast, I am getting ready to hit the road again, holla at ya on the other side!

Peace!!

It lines up

Preparing the heart – unplug and ask Ask –What do I need? What’s in my way? What needs to go?



The biting of the big apple continues. I signed up to do a workshop called "The Gift Of Your Divine Storm" on Friday evening. True to form I didn't ask any questions I just said yes to going as it was right up my alley and being conducted by Mastin Kipp. I read a lot of his stuff and his work resonates with me as his mantra is to be self- approved and love yourself! 
When I got the details, the instructions were clear, we would be Kundalani yoga and meditation and then onto the workshop! I had some reservations, yoga? for real? Before a workshop?
During the day I had to be at the bank doing business stuff around my books, setting up accounts and all that fancy stuff, that took forever and I was running super late, then I remembered Eckart Tolle - make a friend with the present, don't fight it, you are late and accept that, I did and it calmed me down
The energy in the room was electric, 200 people doing yoga, which is supposed to be something quiet but  the vibes were so high! After the yoga some left and we were into the coaching sessions! My best lesson there was to know and define your own rules for your life because when you live by other people's rules you will always be playing catch up and may never reach there! Do you have any standards for your life? Can you define what your own rules for your own life are?And the thing is when you start experimenting with something new what happens? Sometimes you may not get it right the first time! And be ok with that! When a baby starts walking they fall, its' your rules, get back up, do something, try again! I loved that lesson and wanted to share it with you!Make your own rules and standards! It's really OK to!
Off again for another bite!Peace!!

Left it on the train

May we also trust that, even when we feel like we should be further along than we are on project x, y or z, we’re right where we should be.There’s a lot that has to happen for something to happen that we can’t see. May we trust that it’s all happening, just as it should . Kate Northrup
I hopped on the subway with my big bag and my bigger banner! the banner traveled with me from Trinidad on the plane and made it to NYC! I had to be at the book store for my reading and signing at 5pm! I had a long conversation with myself - "self, don't lose this banner ok?" The journey was scheduled to take an hour with me changing trains a couple of times!

The train was over crowded, there were delays on the line and they asked people to have patience, I was taking up a lot of room with my bag and banner and people had a few "kind" words for me! I managed to change the first train and got on the second one! As I entered the bookstore to start my gig I realised that I had no banner, I panicked ran out of the store like a mad woman leaving the people in the store who looked like "hmmmmmm"
The lady at the counter ran outside "Is every thing ok?"
Wait, where was I running to? The banner is gone! Deal with it! It's just a banner you can get another one
I stopped
''Yes, I just lost my banner"
"Oh, sorry"

I felt sad I lost it because the whole talk of me being careless as a child just flooded back in!
Kerlean came up to me and said " Hey, we have an event now, get it together forget the banner you are here now"

I agreed with her
Let's do this, La Casa Azul is waiting!
The event was nice, the space is awesome and the people were welcoming
I am so in awe of this experience!

Let go of the attachments and be in the moment!
Peace!

Showing up

“Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields…Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness.” ~ Mary Oliver

This morning I woke up and had second thoughts about going to run! The pillows and bed were stacked up and feeling fine, outside the weather was conducive to lying in bed! Then the phone rang and I answered to discuss the day's event (today I am at the La Casa Azul Book store in East Harlem) the phone call was a sign to get up! Yesterday at dinner we were talking about where would be nice to run! I was told that Prospect Park would be ideal and it is in walking distance.

I got up and headed towards the park, beautiful spot, there were people running, walking, cycling, doing yoga! In the middle somewhere I bumped into a lake and got lost, a group of runners approached me and one of the guys said join us its a circuit! Turns out that he was a personal trainer with a group running the park! Was so worth it to wake up and run! I joined the group had a lovely session and as I was leaving he said we meet at 845 am on Friday morning, join us! Made my day!\
Off to bite off a piece of Harlem!
Have a super day peeps
Peace

This is a process

This is a process, not an event, it will take time- Dr. Christianne Northrup

I love to visit NYC. I feel like there is always possibility in the air! I feel like opportunities are waiting to be realized with work and self belief! I like the freedom of walking the streets, the buzz downtown, the bookstores, the choice! I can safely say it is one of my favourite places to visit. 
Today I stood on the 31st floor of the City University of New York and looked out at the Hudson River, the Statue of Liberty, the Pier. What an amazing place to have a University! I gave thanks for the opportunity to be there. It immediately pulled me out of my own head! Yea I was living in my head this morning, with all the other tenants! I smiled at myself and moved back into the real world!
And this is where I will be for the rest of the week, present and grateful! What's the alternative? Peace!
 

You will make mistakes

Any voice that you have that attacks you in any way is not your highest self – Elizabeth Gilbert
My phone rang, I did not notice the number, I answered and a woman identified herself as one who purchased my book last week that she didn't know me personally, she went on to say that she found numerous typos and mygrammar was poor. She then asked if this is the final copy and would I be able to pull it from the shelves and reprint. She went on to say that she was a school teacher who was planning to write a book and do some other passionprojects when she has decided which one is best. I told her , I was unable to pull it off the shelf and so be it, thank you for the feedback! She seemed shocked and appalled! 
I sat down after the call, admittedly feeling like crap! I went over in my head, I had 3 editors, 3 do overs and still there were mistakes! Wow! What could I have done differently? How did I miss them?Then it hit me! We are human, humans make mistakes, humans have off days and in there , in the mistakes are beautiful lessons which I can learn. I also read a post by another writer called Tony Gaskins and he put it nicely, people make mistakes, get over it, learn from it and move on. No matter how hard you try to avoid them, mistakes happen.


That's life in a nutshell and here is what I learned..
1.You will make mistakes.
2. You can't wait until the perfect time to do something because there is no such thing as the perfect time.
3. You have to do the best you can when you can.
4. People are waiting for you to make a mistake but it's better to make mistakes than to do nothing.
5. Learn from the mistakes of others to minimize your own.
6. Don't be afraid of mistakes. Mistakes are human.
7. You'll make some mistakes that no one will catch, but it's better to have people watching for your mistakes than no one watching at all.
8. Mistakes will make you better.
9. Even those you pay to do it right will make mistakes because they are human too.


Be ok making mistakes because if you're making mistakes that means you're making things happen.
Peace!


https://twitter.com/LaCasaAzulBooks/s...

La Casa Azul, the historic Harlem bookstore awaits!! So excited about this opportunity!!