Akosua Dardaine Edwards's Blog, page 30

Akosua's Books

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 30, 2023 10:01

Right Here

You’re blooming, healing, and ascending. Be patient with this upgrade. Deion

I have noticed a pattern, I run yet I stay in te same place, all with the aim of getting to another version of myself. The version that gets the lesson minus any of the pain, challenges, discomfort of hard changes.

I have been running fast towards the learning of the lessons, quickly and easily, exerting myself to get "there"

Where exactly is "there?"

I am now learning that "there" may not even exist.

There is only here

Here. Now. Right Now.

This place. This life. This body.

Here where I am - right now.

The lesson, the version of me, the arrival to "there" minus the challenges, the discomfort, the wounds, where I can finally be "lesson learnt", comfortable, an ideal version of me relies on me trusting that I can meet myself where I am, that I can handle whatever it is that is in front of me, that I can live in the here, in the now minus the running, fixing, controlling.

Live. Trust. Learn. Live

Live with the moment that arrive

Live and trust, allow, be here - rather than run to "there"

To remind myself that it is okay to be here when the change comes because there us wisdom, love and a process, right here

Peace

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 28, 2023 11:47

Losing Yourself is harder than Letting Go

Letting go is hard but holding on when you're losing yourself is harder. Alex Elle
Over the past week I have been told my different people that I love my comfort zones, I stay too long in a situation and its time to do something new. Now why would I ignore these signs? I must be nuts to ignore the Universe sending me these nudges through so many different avenues.I looked at it differently - of course I did! I am in total agreement, I am looking at it differently
What have I learnt about Letting Go?
1. It's damm hard. Especially when I believe that I am losing control, losing and uncertain- all ego driven actions - Faith and Trust are the qualities that support me when it gets hard.
2. Letting go is not losing or failing - I like to think about it now as surrendering to the process, to the higher power - Acceptance of what is in front of me makes it easier.
3. Letting go is saying to the Universe I have done all that I can - over to you U! (Universe)
4. Letting go is not a one time event, we will have to let go over and over again in life - practice makes masters
5. Love yourself, be kind to yourself, and journey with grace through the process.

Peace and Blessings

Akosua's Books

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 26, 2023 11:38

The Commitment to Value Self

Not only am I good enough. I am more than enough - Angela Bassett

Recommitting to self, I seem to have forgotten! This is where I am making a declaration

Ten Commitments I am making to Value Myself

Consistently eating healthy foods that nourish my body. Saying no to things I don't want to especially if it dishonors me.Saying yes to things that I usually say no to out of fear of looking bad or upsetting others.Telling the truth even though it may piss people off. Living in that truth.Asking for what I wantResting and resting wellSpeaking to myself with love and kindnessSetting boundaries and keeping them even when hardNot bargaining my own worthPaying attention and listening to my intuition - my divine guidance

Peace and Blessings

Akosua's Books

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 23, 2023 09:15

The work you do ON yourself

the work you do on yourself will show in the connections that stay and in the ones that fade away, the work you do on yourself will show in the energy you tolerate and in the vibrations you reject. the more inner work you do, the more shifts you start to see in your outer world. Billy Chapata

The work you do ON yourself - this is the line that drew me to the quote above by the wonderful poet Billy Chapata.

What am I doing ON myself, FOR myself.

Life has this way of doing whatever it must to get your attention. So even when ignore the work on ourselves, Life will reflect back to you wherever you are

And usually the changes, the shifts, the motion starts inside - The most famous inside job.

My habit has been at the end of a year to regroup, to set goals, objectives, a vision for the next year. I have been doing this for quite a number of years. This year was the first time I contemplated changing it, then life happened. So many changes happened on the last day of the year, I had to pause as life said to me, where are YOU in all this?

Where am I and Who am I

Pause and pay attention to that - its not a one time, one answer scenario, we change, evolve, we grow. I confess - I was stuck in a past time, I now am working on getting to know me again, to fall in love with me again, to appreciate me again, to move away from the me that morphs into what others need me to be. - You get me?

Let me say it again - to move away from the me I believe I need to be so that others can feel comfortable and I can feel accepted.

And when you do the work prepare to heal - in that healing process, you may lose some and you may gain some - people and positions. It is par for the course. Not easy however, required.

Peace and Blessings

Akosua's Books

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 20, 2023 08:30

Change requires us to make a choice

Change requires us to make a choice: Do we settle and stay the same, or do we press forward, get uncomfortable, and learn from what's in front of us? Alex Elle

This morning as I was journaling, I asked myself what am I doing differently in situations I claim that I want change. What am I doing to make a change, to shift a habit, to honour the change that I so want in my life?

What I have learnt is that doing the same thing, in the same way brings very little change. If any at all. I have also learnt that the comfort of knowing that sometimes that old way works, I would be relentless with my approach. I would continue to use it in the hope and prayer that this time it works. I f I read it somewhere, well even worse, I would stick with this approach and there would be no turning back.

I now know that making a change requires doing new things, feeling uncomfortable, leaving things and people behind and feeling all my feelings. It has not been the easiest thing that I have done.

And so I pledge and declare today, that I am making a change, starting small, by paying attention to the things that I habitually do, by summoning the courage to do those things differently and having the faith that I can handle it.

Pema Chodron says "Sometimes, you just have to let everything fall apart" - that resonated with me. I confess, I want to fix, control, feel safe, know the next steps. It works at times, other times I feel frustrated and unsafe. So letting things fall apart will be a new experience, I don't have to fix, control, know everything. Life delights in the unexpected and for 2023 I am willing to be delighted.

Peace and Blessings

Akosua's Books

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 18, 2023 07:48

Power - A Different Definition

Humanity and Decency over Perfection - Elizabeth Gilbert

Kemi Neckvapil's definition of Power in her book " A Woman's Guide to Leading and Leading without Apology" has gotten me so excited that I felt it my duty to share.

It resonated to me in such a profound way, I love it and would also love to hear your thoughts

POWER

P: PRESENT

Be present to what is working in your life, to what is not working. Be present to ourselves and with ourselves so that we can be authentically present to other people. When we are present it has an impact on how we show up in the world.

O - OWNERSHIP

Take full ownership of our stories, those we have been told, those we have witnessed, those who have made up, those we have lived and those we have experienced. When we integrate all of those stories, the good, the bad, the ugly, allows us to feel powerful in the world instead of hiding.

W-WISDOM

We all have an incredible internal wisdom, yet it is trained out of us at a very early age. Trust your inner guru, your innder mentor, your intuition and not outsource our lives and abandon it.

E - EQUALITY

We all have an internal equality because we are human. We have different external resources but our equality is never in question.

R- RESPONSIBILITY

No one is coming to save you. You are responsible for your own life. When we are responsible, even if the most devastating things happen, we can decide "I am responsible for my healing, I am responsible for the action that I can take next, I am responsible for my words"

It does not mean that life may be easier, in some ways, it may be harder but it means that you can take the choice to show up in the world as who we want to be.

Peace

Akosua's Books

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 16, 2023 07:48

What are you making room for in your life?

make more room for you. more space to make mistakes without attaching resentment to yourself, more patience with yourself in your regretful moments, more love to the beautiful parts of you that you’ve hidden out of shame, give yourself permission to create infinite possibilities. Billy Chapata

Eleven things I am making room for:

1. New Adventures - making room for this will require me saying and having a strong YES when invited to do new things, go new places and come out of the familiarity zones that I have created for myself.

2. Making mistakes sans self judgement - stop beating up on self particularly if its a new adventure, new experience and new project

3. Consistent self care - consistently eating healthier foods that nourish me, consistently resting and taking time to renew and revive

4. Being grateful - for it all!

5. Surrender - letting go of the need to control, fix, make right, be liked.

6. Doing more things that I like - why wait for a special occasion or make excuses why its not a convenient time?

7. Family and Friends - nuff said

8. Forgiving myself - mistakes and missteps will happen.

9. Fun and more Fun

10. Feeling all my Feelings - feelings are guides, they are essential on the Journey

11. Supreme Love , Kind Love, Pure Love

Over to you...

Peace and Blessings

Akosua's Books

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 13, 2023 06:32

Are You Willing?

Willingness - You must be willing to do what you believe you cannot, and acknowledge what you've avoided. Yes, this can be painful, but when you are unwilling to see things—and people—as they are, you can't deal with the problem, and I can guarantee your situation will be prolonged. Iyanla Vanzant

Understanding the principle of willingness was a turning point for me on my journey. When I finally got it, it changed the way I viewed challenges and so many other areas on my journey.

I ask myself in the moment "Am I willing?

Am I willing to see this differently?

Am I willing to listen?

Am I willing to pause?

Am I willing to do something different?

Am I willing to drop the righteous behavior's?

Am I willing to be wrong?

Am I willing to do a hard new thing?

Am I willing to change the perception of myself?

Am I willing to change what I do daily?

Willingness is to consider just for a moment. Consider the thing. Just consider it. This is the first step. Rather than completely write it off.

Willingness is to be ready just in case things start popping off.

And with these questions, I pause. I take the opportunity to look at the possibilities rather than the past. It's been tough, because I want evidence, I want control and most of all I want to avoid pain! Pain mashes me up, let me tell you. I want to avoid that discomfort so much that I run from it, familiar pain I am ok with, new pain - I scream and avoid.

When I became willing I recognized that I can do something differently and its ok. The discomfort will pass. Go through it to see what is on the other side. What I have noticed that on the other side, I have gained something, I like myself more to. Being willing does not push you to make an immediate decision, what it does that it allows you to pause and consider that there are different possibilities.

Give willingness a shot and watch how it changes your mindset.

Peace

Akosua's Books

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love