Akosua Dardaine Edwards's Blog, page 227

Are you wishing and never acting?

Until today, you may have been paralysed by when, if, only,or because. Just for today, remember that now is the time! Make something happen in your life and for your life Iyanla, the boss!I was doing my early morning ritual of meditating and reading something positive and usually its quite a random and I am always always amazed that I am given the exact message that I need for the day or time or situation! I swear meditation is really a way to connect to something higher, your higher self, I don't even know how to explain it! Anyways so I am paying attention to this message this morning and it was really, why are you waiting? Why are you making excuses and justifying doing something that you know is not for your highest good and highest self? Do you know what I am talking about? Can you identify with what I am saying peeps?Talking about doing something for ages and still not doing it, making up excuses about whyActing like you don't want something and you doTelling stories and not taking risksWishing and never acting!My goodness, after this morning's session I woke right up and started making moves!Sometimes all I need is a little nudge!Massive action today, making it happen!Peace! 

Attachement shows a lack of faith

To stand on the brink of what is coming, feeling eager, optimistic anticipation—with no feeling of impatience, doubt, or unworthiness hindering the receiving of it—that is the Science of Deliberate Creation at its best. Abraham Hicks
Attachment is a way of saying “ I don’t have faith in anything else! I can handle this!” You want to control your experiences and responses. You see, rather than fight with you for control, life will send you into the pit of stagnation. This can be extremely painful. Attachment reflects a lack of faith in your ability to learn, Learning takes place in three ways. You learn by choice. You learn by force. You learn by being forced to make a choice. When you are attached to what you know, what you can control, chances are you will be forced to make a choice. You can stay attached and be stagnated in pain and confusion or you can let go in faith and your next experience will be exactly what you need, but did not know you needed.
Catch this? Open your heart to the possibility that there is something great waiting for you! Let go of anything and/or anyone you are attached to, in faith that you will be pleasantly surprised Peace!
 
 

Are you in the NOW?

Good things come to those who wait teaches us patience, better things come to those who go for it teaches us proactivity, what will be will be teaches us acceptance. Bishop (my friend)My best lesson this week, be in the NOW, be in the moment. What is the purpose of running towards "the next thing" every time? When you are not in the now, where are you? Somewhere else and not being present! So, I have been looking at the next move, the next thing, what I am "supposed" to do and not paying attention to right here and right now! And that is fear and control, I am not in control! I do the work, let it go, enjoy the moment and then there is another now moment!Let me tell you this also, I did a run yesterday, a tenK! And trust me this teaches you about how marvellous our bodies and minds are and work in sync. I was suffering! My knees were screaming STOP! and I said at that moment what about if I change the tune in my head? I changed it to I can do this, my body is my friend, I sang it, soca style! While I was singing that I swear I heard the voice " be here, now, stop rushing everything and give thanks" Running in nature is really a church!Anyways, thought I would share that with you!Are you in the NOW? or are you thinking what I have to do, didn't do, want to do and should do? Try something different just for today!Peace!  

Freedom is a state of mind

Freedom is a state of mind.  It is the outgrowth of our willingness to make conscious choices of our own free will and to live through the consequences of our choices without blame, shame, or guilt.  Freedom is a sign of self-awareness.  When you are aware of what it takes to maintain your mental, emotional, and physical well-being and you make conscious choices toward that goal, you are exercising your freedom.Freedom is the recognition of the truth . Iyanla Vanzant

Today is Emancipation Day in Trinidad and Tobago and I am here on the island for the first time in a long time! There is a public holiday in declaration of this and a whole week of celebrations at what is called the Emancipation Village, with food, entertainment, crafts and art! I have been twice for the week and last night as I was there it hit me! I am here now because of the people that came before me and paved the path! What am I doing in honour and memory of this?To me its a serious question because it wasn't always like this, business as usual where people could wake up, go to work where they choose, eat where they want, jump on a plane etc..
So now that we have this freedom what are we doing with it, freedom that came at a price of lives, loves, dignity and struggle! It sobered me up I tell you! Last night sobered me up to make it my duty to leave this place better for those coming up behind me, to live a life that would make my ancestors proud and to never ever take my freedom for granted!
Peace!!

Step out on faith, eyes wide open

If you pay attention you will always get the signs, pay attention! Learn to read your body, when you are restricted and constricted, pay attention to your gut, I don’t care what the facts say, when your gut says something aint right, it aint! And step out on faith, eyes wide open!

Last night I went to see a documentary movie called Fela! Fela  Kuti is a Nigerian musician icon who was a revolutionary in every sense of the word! He stood for justice in a time where Nigeria was going through a civil war, he had 27 wives, he employed people who were considered unemployable! The guy was totally himself without fear or favour! What I learned last night is that being you, whole and totally you changes the world! It just does. You use your gift, you are free, you life becomes a demonstration of what is possible! When you are following and doing status quo you deny your own self the joy of living a full and free life! When you are doing you, you create history, a legacy! When you following and just going along you create but not to the fullest!
So there was a moment in the film I was able to just get so clear and I heard my gut, my inner voice saying live and do you, be free, and it will not be easy but it will be worth it! Live your OWN life! Live it with freedom, joy and love not what people tell you that you ought to be doing!
How are you living your life?
Peace!

Can you have a Hard conversation?

Just start where you are! Start! Pay attention! Rev DEBORAH jOHNSON

How do you have a hard conversation? What is a hard conversation? A hard conversation is one where you know that it can either piss someone off, or one where you are afraid to have, or one that you know will change everything as it is right now, after you have it things will never be the same. A hard conversation takes you out of your comfort zone, one that you have to be totally and brutally honest. A hard conversation is one you avoid! It's one that will make you cry sometimes but it frees you

So how do you have these?
I am learning this, Why? I don't like to piss people off, I like people to like me, I am a recovering people pleaser, I like silence, I am almost afraid of my own anger!
So how do I have a hard conversation knowing all this?

I ask the Universe for guidance
I set the goals of what I want to achieve
I am honest and open
I am willing to be wrong
I do it with all the love and compassion that my heart can hold
I am willing to piss people off
and I just DO IT!

How do you have hard conversations?
 Peace

 

Why to why not

What do you ask when a situation is happening? Why? or why? So here is what I learnt, asking why keeps you in the victim mode! Think about it for a moment!

Why did this happen?
Why is this happening to me?
Why? oh Why?

If you just take the question that you are asking and shift the emphasis in the word it brings a whole other perspective
Say I AM whole and complete with an emphasis on different words and see what happens, do that even with your whining question. like why does it never turn out right? change the emphasis focus on never and you will see its not true, NEVER?? NEVER??
You get me?
Shift from victim mode!
So how can you move from why to why not?
Peace!

Be a star player in the game of life!

I forgive myself for judging myself so harshly.  I forgive myself, for not fully utilizing and maximizing the grace of time, talent and skill that has been gifted into my hands. I forgive myself for playing small and not stepping up as a star player in the game of life. Inner Visions Worldwide


I was asked to be a feature speaker at an event in Princes Town of Friday, a public speaking and poetry competition for the young people in the area. I still get humbled and nervous when people ask me to do the talk! I didn't ask many questions about the event, sometimes that gets me more nervous! I asked the venue, I am from the South of the island and have an idea of the town but its not an intimate knowledge so when I get there I see the event is on the Promenade, which is the equivalent of the town square! The middle of the town, chairs and chairs, a huge stage OMG!  Well here you go Miss Akosua, some call me Yaki! I always wanted an opportunity like this, well here it is! So I pulled myself together, show up and shine, let it go! I left the prepared speech in the car! I had to talk! I just had to get it from the heart! Went down really well so lesson number one, speak always from the heart!
So as I come off the stage, I sat to listen to the young people make their presentations and they call me up on the stage to present the prize to the winner. As I approached the stage an older gentleman stopped me " Listen I am so upset and vex with you that you wrote that book" Now I'm startled! "Excuse me?" "Yes, why did you write that book?" before I could respond he said " You never took men's feelings into the picture, you painted a bad picture of the man, men have feelings as well" I'm thinking now oh boy how do I handle this? I said well I wrote the book because I wanted to tell an empowering story to heal me and heal anyone who read it, I wanted to be a demonstration of what is possible by doing the soul work and telling the truth. He said listen I am not convinced and I am still mad at you, let's hope that you have matured since then. I smiled, I thanked him for his feedback and was about to walk on to the stage, I turned around" sir out of curiosity did you read the entire book?" "Yes I did" "Ok so maybe you were not that pissed off then?" and I kept a steppin!
So lesson number two, not everyone will like your work, and be gracious in how you handle it!
It bothered me for about an hour though but I managed to let it go!
What can you be gracious under pressure about?
Peace!


 

How do you express your very essence?

You see, unless you create a cause with your natural energy through expression, you cannot have an effect. Your energy is expressed or invested and the yield is your return in the form of visible supply. How do you express your energy? Your very Essence? John Randolph Rice

These days I have been reading John Randolph work a whole lot, he has some radical ideas about abundance and abundance consciousness and its really resonating with me as I learn more about allowing abundance into my life and into my mind! This morning as I was reading it I was thinking about how much we block our own blessings by the way we speak, think, and who we choose to surround ourselves with, and I started paying attention to me and my triggers! Its really sobering when you face yourself and at the same time its exciting because I get to learn new lessons and apply them to this one and only wonderful life that I was gifted with!
Today I was asked to be a feature speaker at a youth symposium in Princes Town, this is a town in the south of the island about one and a half hours from the capital. They are having their annual emancipation celebrations and asked me to come down and celebrate it with them! I am both excited and nervous yet grateful that I am given such a responsibility to influence young minds! So I'm ready, suit up, show up and let it go I say!!
Will let you know how it goes!
Peace!!
 

Ten thousand flowers bloom

"Out of yesterday's rejection, onward to a new perfection, from a fire came a feel, from that feel we made the steel!  So now we children now have a form so very Trinbagonian of course! Out of a muddy pond, ten thousand flowers bloomed" David Rudder

The adventure continued yesterday, I met an old buddy of mine, known her forever, but really have to make the time to hang out with her a little more while I am In the country. We decided to go to an event just on the spot called the Unconquered series. Its a set of talks held on different topics! No clue what was about to happen!
The thing turned out just what I needed after having a day like yesterday! This young man from one of the "hot spots" in the country ( the new term for a ghetto in T&T) sought refuge from the ghetto in a pan yard. A pan yard is a place where steel pan is learnt and played. Back in the day playing the steel pan was frowned upon and considered an absolute waste of time! He loved the music and would escape from his life in there and what this young man did is use the music of steel pan to conduct music therapy! He took us through what he would do in a music therapy session and my buddy got involved by having an instrument and playing it while he made some comments etc. It was so good to see how out from a muddy pond, ten thousand flowers bloomed! The guy is of service, doing what he loves and making his path clearer and making the country a better place!
What a nice way to spend the evening!
Put things well into perspective
Love to see how people pave a path and love learning from them
What kind of path are you paving?
Peace!!