Akosua Dardaine Edwards's Blog, page 31

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

I DeClare - Download your free guide

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Published on January 03, 2023 08:13

I DeClare

our very expansion challenges the way we see the world and how we see ourselves. To expand often requires a becoming, which will require the death of our old identity. Vangile Manwaka

I use this time of the year as a period of reflection and renewal. I get excited at the possibilities of seeing me evolve, seeing my world in another light.

This year, I DeClare that I am a powerful being, I was born that way.

Please find the link to download the free workbook

I pray that it can support you on your Journey

Blessings and more Blessings to you and your loved ones in 2023 and beyond.

Akosua

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

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Published on December 30, 2022 09:19

What are you being totally present to today?

Help me to see new ways of being as I release old ways of seeing ACIM

I took an early morning walk to the beach just after breakfast. The fishermen were out doing their thing. I was absolutely fascinated at the process. I stood there taking it all in.

The process of "pulling the seine" involves the fisherfolk pulling a net in with the fish, usually from the shore. The men were pulling the net, some on the shore, some in a boat in the water and some men were also in the water. All of this to get to the fish that were caught in the net.

The rhythm, the comradery, the strength, the simplicity, the coordination. All of these required to get the fish from the net to the table.

There are so many signs that life provides on the Journey to remind us that there is beauty in simplicity, there is value in moving to the rhythm rather than forcing something to happen, there is so much to learn when working in community.

Paying attention to what is in front of us, from the mundane to the exciting is a way we can increase our consciousness. How we can increase our presence and shift the focus from recreating the past or worrying about the future - or maybe both.

What are you being totally present to today?

Peace

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

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Published on December 29, 2022 06:48

In the meantime and between time

Be present for yourself. Show up for the questions. Reflect on them Dr Cory Yeager

Christmas has come and gone. I had the opportunity to spend a very peaceful few days in Castara Tobago. Confessions on the Journey - this has been the most peaceful few days I have spent in a very long time! I feel so grateful for this peace that passes all understanding.

I have been reflecting on what contributed to this feeling of peace.

Well....obviously apart from the surroundings which are extremely beautiful. Overlooking the ocean never gets old. I can look at the ocean even when doing mundane tasks such as washing the dishes. Castara is a quiet fishing village and over Christmas the shops, the restaurants were shut tight! Nothing much to do but enjoy the surroundings.

I chose to view the uncertainty in my life as a portal to something new, why not just get excited about what is to come even though I have no clue what it is, even though there is inevitably be massive changes that I am terrified of - a combination of not knowing and not wanting change?

Why not accept that all is well even though it scares me no end? This mindset took practice and required me affirming that all is well every time the feeling of anxiety came up.

I stopped judging myself for "waking up late" for all the "wrong" things I do. I just let myself be. I woke up one morning ad decided to walk to another Village. Rain was falling. I got up and walked- rain, cows and dogs in the road did not deter me (Always have been of cows and dogs) It was an absolutely beautiful morning walk.

I stopped torturing myself in my mind with What If's - dreaming up stories of what if - many of the stories being worst case scenarios. As soon as the stories start, I remind myself - get excited, things work out- surrender.

Practising the affirmations and speaking with loving kindness to Self makes it easier, not easy!

Every day in every way, remind yourself that you are here but for a time, just like everything else. Nothing is permanent. What we do in the meantime is what counts.

Every day in every way remind yourself that wanting to control every outcome and having it your way leads to a level of anxiety and suffering that is simply not worth it. Work with what is, knowing that you can handle it, despite feeling sad, angry, disappointed, this too will pass when we remind ourselves that life is filled with many "in the meantime"

Peace

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Published on December 27, 2022 04:49

Love and Care for Yourself

The wisest understand that most often there is not even a need to create an assessment, that what is most needed is actually love and care instead of judgment. Yung Pueblo

During this season, love and care for yourself. Love and care for your body, love and care for your passions, love and care for your family.

Love and care for the things that matter

When we love and care, we invite and receive an energy that is unparallel.

Little by little when we love and care for something, the anxiety starts to fall away, the self judgement reduces and we can fully immerse ourself in the moment.

As of tomorrow I will be loving up on myself, caring for myself by reading, watching the sun rise and set and reflecting on my life

I invite you to join me on this journey wherever you are.

Peace

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

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Published on December 23, 2022 04:30

you must be good to yourself if you are ever going to be any good for others.

you must be good to yourself if you are ever going to be any good for others. This means take a day off once in a while when it's not scheduled. Eat of piece of chocolate when it's not recommended. Take a nap when it's just not possible.

Get your face into a good book for an hour when you can't afford to. Soak in a tub when there's no time to. Stop everything when you're not supposed to. Do this now, right now, for goodness sake. Neale Donald Walsh

The most challenging lesson over the past few months has been accepting of what is.

Accepting - acknowledging what is in front of me minus wanting to change it, fix it, control it, deny it.

As soon as a situation arises that is not what I want, not one that I can control, not one that I like, I start a process of fixing, changing, denying. All in vain too! It is so stressful, to say the least.

Accepting what is has been kicking my a$$!

Why? ( here is the tricky part of the confession) - I viewed accepting what is as a loss, as a failure.

This was the crux of the matter.

Until today

Although it has not ben easy, I am reframing how I look at acceptance of what is.

1. A gift from the Universe wrapped up in sandpaper

2. An opportunity to make another choice

3. A time to build courage, to grieve and any loss and to self reflect - cry, cuss, scream, stare at the ceiling- give yourself a time to do this.

4. A lesson that the Most High wants me to learn.

5. Focus on affirming self talk rather than judgement and beating up of self.

6. A time to express gratitude no matter what.

Peace

Akosua

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

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Published on December 21, 2022 13:23

Where are your actions leading to?

Are the things you’re doing today getting you closer to where you want to be? Or are your actions keeping you at a standstill? Maxie McCoy

As the end of the year becomes closer and closer, I begin to reflect on how I showed up during the period. I reflect on what life is telling me thorough all its signs and clues.

Confessions on the Journey:

1. Staying consistent particularly when it feels hard, or there are distractions is tough. It so easy to, for example, avoid hard conversations, turn off the alarm when it feels better to lie in rather than exercise, stay in familiar comfortable situations rather than dive into the uncertainty.

2. Choosing to let go of control and surrender it all has been a hell of a journey. Let me tell you, I want to KNOW, I want evidence, I want my way, I want to win. This has caused me some stress and suffering

As I reflect on this I have learnt that consistency is a practice, starting small and growing is what worked for me. A little bit, a little push, a little really does go a long way.

Surrendering and letting go is a choice. Constant self talk and affirmation has brought me back on track. Without ut, I go in hard with the aim of winning, getting my own way and being in "control" - trust me it does not always work.

I have committed to using the affirmations and kind and compassionate self talk to place me back into the moment. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't and its during that time I have to remind myself that practice makes masters rather than berate myself for falling off the wagon.

How do you affirm yourself?

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

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Published on December 19, 2022 12:08

Uncovering what's need to be seen in Self

freedom is running your own race and not comparing yourself to whoever is in front of you, while simultaneously choosing not to pay attention to whoever is trailing you behind. freedom is realizing that your path is uniquely yours, and no one can take that from you. Billy Chapata

Whatever is in me, whatever is hidden that I ought to know about myself,

Whatever I deny about myself

Whatever I resist accepting about myself,

Whatever negativity & destructiveness there is within me

I call it out to the open easily, effortlessly under grace.

I choose to see it clearly

I commit myself to seeing what needs to be seen without judgement or criticism, regardless of the challenge or hurt to my vanity or my ego.

I want to be conscious of how I deliberately refuse to see my part in wherever I am stuck, wounded, broken, afraid, angry or imprisoned by limiting beliefs.

I open myself to see how I deliberately refuse to accept the truth of my authentic power & how I therefore concentrate on the wrong of others.

I ask to be made ready &

willing to clear, release, heal & surrender those things so that I will step into & live my authentic identity.

Where I do not have the capacity to do so, I ask that the Holy Spirit do so on my behalf leaving me with only the understanding & wisdom to stop hurting, punishing & limiting myself & others

Amen and Ase

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

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Published on December 16, 2022 11:21

Being vs Doing

the only way to get to my financial and other life goals was to allow myself to be imperfect. I started letting go of over doing and started focusing on being. I started showing all of myself, not just the perfect parts of me. I allowed people to see me - I became visible and with that visibility I learned self compassion and started shedding the shame. The more I shed the shame, the more my life and finances shifted. Vangile Makwaka

Wanting to get it "right"

Wanting to "fix it"

Wanting to show your best side

Wanting to make others proud

Wanting to be seen as useful and productive

These are all noble wants, the challenge with these wants is the intention behind them. Are we doing all of this to show others how useful and brilliant we are? when we lose ourselves in the mix of doing we get trapped in that cycle of doing.

Doing to prove our worth, doing to prove who we are keeps us doing and doing and wondering why we are so exhausted, why we are stuck and why things remain the same. We will hardly ever be satisfied.

I have been caught in the cycle over the last few weeks, wanting to prove to others that I am worthy, wanting to fix everything around me. In that doing, I neglected being.

I have been feeling anxious, sad, and out of control. Why? Because I am not fixing, and I believe that in that proving it is not being appreciated.

On my morning walk, I remembered the lesson "there is nothing to prove, there is nothing to fix, just BE"

Being is a state of mind, it is being present where you are with a knowing that you will be okay.

Doing is external - other people get to see what you are "doing", more than likely you produce something tangible and impact others by your actions. People see you as valuable because you are adding to a task, a project, to yourself.

The two has to co-exist and be in balance.

I am done with doing without being. The western culture today puts a lot of emphasis on “Doing”. It’s important to keep busy, to be on our way to somewhere and to have a clear agenda on things. We get rewarded for it, people tell us that we are valuable, that we are worth something, that we are not lazy.

Being can be seen as passive as there is hardly anything to show that is tangible, its all an inside job.

Rather than wanting to impact the flow of things and the outcome, just be. Use your faith, your divine guidance to navigate through situations, rather than wanting to prove and fix. Being makes us aware of the most important things we have in our life — our life.

Today, I have decided to be

to be kind

to be love

to be fun

to be health

to be....

Peace

Akosua's Books

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

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Published on December 15, 2022 09:10

Everything ain't for Everybody

performing, contorting, and molding for approval never brings the embodied sense of belonging we so hope it does . Lisa Olivera

On Saturday I was invited to speak at an event at the University of the West Indies. The theme was mental health. When I saw the theme I immediately thought- what do I know about mental health? I was on the verge of declining. The conversation was going really well and I realized that I would really like to be a part of a movement which allows for healing in an authentic way. I said Yes, Yes to doing something that scared me, yes to showing up and saying what I felt was important on my own journey towards healing and yes to doing something new.

News flash - there will be people who your story will not resonate with, people who cannot relate and plain ole don't like the sight and sound of you. Do what you do anyway. Your message, story, work, purpose is not for them and will bless others.

This was a hard concept for me to learn, truth be told, I want everyone to like me. The moment I started paying attention to those who don't I lost focus.

The lessons I learnt from going ahead and showing up to share authentically are:

1. Be intentional

2. I have zero control over what people think and ought not to manipulate any situation nor worry about it.

3. Be myself, have fun, be kind

4. Learn from the mistakes, be open to feedback

5. Everything is not for everybody!

Peace

Akosua's Books

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