Akosua Dardaine Edwards's Blog, page 56

You OR Me vs You AND Me

 From the paradigm of scarcity, we create a YOU OR ME world that will always create more division. From the paradigm of sufficiency, we create a YOU AND ME world, that will always foster unity. Lynne Twist 

From the paradigm of scarcity, we create a YOU OR ME world that will always create more division. From the paradigm of sufficiency, we create a YOU AND ME world, that will always foster unity. Lynne Twist 

My prayer this month is to live from a space of enoughness and sufficiency. 

Confessions on the Journey - Many times I have this gnawing feeling that there will not be enough - and  the feeling is usually about money and time. When there is a budget given to me, I have to stick to and follow I get even more nervous.

When there are deadlines, I feel anxious, I feel nervous. 

I am usually looking to cut back and scrimp and do with less. I m now asking myself, Is that how we are supposed to live, from a place of not having enough? From a space of things will run out? Or have I just chosen that?

I have decided to act from a space of sufficiency, because yes, not enoughness will mash you up!

That there is enough, nature does not hoard. And nothing blooms all year round but there is always enough

I needed this reminder.

Peace

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The world can do things to you, but it cannot extract things from you that you do not choose to give.

 if the Mind thinks that a particular pain is “unwanted,” it will not abide it. It will violently or strenuously fight against it, and that’s precisely what creates the experience of struggle and suffering in one’s life. Neale Donald Walsh 

Over the past few months there has been a constant pain in my back and shoulder - I could not put my finger on the back pain. The shoulder one I deduced that it was a past injury rearing its head after boxing. The back one scared the beJesus out of me. I relented and went to the doctor. He asked me some questions and told me he believes that its a back strain. I ought to go home watch YouTube and do some stretches.

Confessions on the Journey - I was resisting this pain and resenting it so much. I was scared of it.

I could not wrap my head around why? why me? why is this pain happening? I exercise, I eat fairly well ( I love chocolates and cannot resist a hot bread out of the oven) 

It was not until I accepted that I have this pain, that I started being curious rather than fearful, that I looked at it from the point of view that there is a lesson in there. That rather than make the choice to ignore it to pay attention to my mind, my thinking, my approach.

The pain had a message for me once I was willing to listen

What discomfort exists in your life that wants your attention, that wants you to focus on something that you are ignoring?

According to Neale Walsh "You must be clear about your ideas of self and the reason that you are on the earth, or placing labels of perfection on calamitous events will simply anger the mind and shut it down, turning you away from the only thing that matters."

What is this experience telling me?

The challenge, if you are to find peace, is to embrace your identity as a spiritual being, and then to implement that choice consistently.

I have chosen to be curious, be accepting and pay attention.

Peace

Now What? Akosua's Latest Book Out Now

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We've Been So Tiny

  We are getting cracked in half because our understanding of how life worked has been so small - has been so guarded because we've been so frightened. We've been so tiny. We've cut and pasted and divided and decided that this type of person can have power but this type of person can't. Carolyn Myss

The year 2020 has been a game changer, 2021 has also come close on the heels with more game changing events which, for me, has really made me questioned what is important. 

What is important in my life? Do I understand that life is bigger than I am with my own part to play. 

How do I define power and powerlessness?

There have been so many events that I have witnessed over the past year 2020 and at the start of 2021 that totally changed what I value.

It has been a reminder that I have to ground myself in something because everything around me that I once knew has changed.

It is absolutely true that change is the only thing that is constant.

I have learnt that despite it all, I must remember who I am, remember that wanting to  control everything and everyone is usually an illusion rooted in fear and lack of faith.

I have learnt that all needs are met - during this time my cupboards have been the most stocked as I haver seen them, people have been feeding me. Keeping in mind that many have no food, I have learnt to share more, more of myself and more of what I have.

I have learnt that I have the power to respond rather than fall down.

We can redesign where we are with what we have despite where we are. That is our power.

Peace

Now What? Akosua's Latest Book Out Now

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Journey to Gratitude

It is  a choice to be grateful  - Inner Fitness

February is the Journey to Gratitude.

February is the month of Giving thanks

Gratitude may not immediately change our circumstances but it allows us to look at the situation with different lens and a new perspective.

This month, make it a practice to be grateful for what we have now and for what is coming - I call those my gratitude Intention. I say what  I am grateful in advance for. 

Today I am grateful for health and healing.

Today I am grateful NOW for courage and clarity

Peace

Now What? Akosua's latest book drops in March 2021
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Safe Spaces

 the BIGGEST difference you can make in another person’s life is to learn to be a place where they feel safe, seen, and heard. Tina Lifford

Sharing a word from Ms Tina Lifford

There’s a trick to being a place where others feel safe seen and heard. To successfully be this for another you must first learn to be such a place for your Self. We each must learn to feel safe, seen, and heard with and by our Self. This is the epitome of Self-care.

When you complain about your Self, see your Self as not good enough, harshly criticize your Self, or undervalue your worth, this is Self-rejection.

We all know what rejection feels like. The silent insult of Self-rejection is worst. It leaves you feeling disconnected from yourself. It instigates all kinds of addictions and accommodates unhealthy and abusive relationships.

You can prove to your Self the damaging effects of Self-rejection. Bring to mind any event that causes you great emotional pain. Then consider this question. What hurts most, the circumstances of the event, or the negative way you see and judge your Self because of the event?

Do you see yourself as less than because of something that has happened in your life? Do you attack or harshly judge your Self because of events that took place in your life?

Self-rejection punches below the belt and can leave us feeling disabled.

Self-acceptance strengthens. When our Self-acceptance is strong another person’s judgment of us is like water rolling off a duck’s back.

Starting today, ask out loud to the universe, “How must I change, so that others can feel safe in my presence?”

When we feel safe we feel hopeful. How you show up today can give a lot of people a lot of hope.
Now What? Akosua's latest book drops in March 2021
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knowing when to push and how to rest is critical wisdom

 knowing when to push and how to rest is critical wisdom. Nkem Ndefo

How do you know when to push and when to rest?

Confessions on the Journey - up until a few years ago I never believed that rest was an essential part of the path that I was on.

Rest to me was a concept associated with aging and to be done when you became older. Winding down the productive years.

What I did learn however is that not only is rest a part of the journey, I learnt that rest is productive. Rest is more than sleep, it includes stillness, quiet time and surrender.

When I don't rest my body rebels in the form of cold and flu's, injuries and body pains and all sorts.

When we listen to the wisdom of our bodies, when we are in tuned with our intuition we learn the difference of when to push and when to rest.

Getting to the point of paying attention to our bodies wisdom and intuition is essential!

Peace

We Must Do The Work

  We must actually do the work. Layla F Saad

In every self help workshop, spiritual gathering and space where I joined in order to heal and grow I have been told that I must do the work.

At first I was not entirely sure what this meant. Am I not doing the work? I thought I was. I believed that I was working hard, being a good person, doing what it takes, eating my veggies and drinking my water.

Turns out that doing the work is holding yourself accountable, taking responsibility, loving and forgiving yourself, setting boundaries, letting go and feeling all of your feelings. Who the heck knew? 

Doing the work is sometimes without immediate reward and many times without anyone else.

We must actually do the work to live the life that we desire

Peace

Now What? Akosua's new book launches in March 2021

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Sleep Helps you Wake Up

 Sleep helps you wake up - The Nap Ministry

Have you been resting?

Do you even think resting is important?

We have been conditioned to believe that the grind culture determines not only how successful we are but how respected we are.

There are many theories that sleep is for the weak, sleep when you die, don't sleep. 

Confessions on the Journey - I too, felt the same way, it was as if when I sleep I would miss something. I would feel guilty to sleep until I was finished with everything that needed to be done and done NOW. 

That belief spiraled into a cycle of grief and exhaustion. Let me tell you, this was a lethal combination.

Being productive, peaceful and calm from a state of  guilt and exhaustion is tough! 

The biggest lesson from this has been that rest is part of the Journey. Rest is Spiritual.

My ancestors did not even have the option to choose when they could have rested. Some of them never really ever rested. I have the choice. I have that power. I know for sure that when I rest I feel so much better, I feel better, I act better.

Peace

 

Question Your Beliefs

 Most of our beliefs are not our own until we question them - Myles Scott

There are times when we absolutely have to question some of the beliefs we hold. When the beliefs we hold in our lives, no longer serve us, questioning them helps us to  navigate a way forward that better serves us. The process of questioning  your beliefs however, can be tricky. The process may involve questioning people in your life,  questioning what they told you as gospel and how you lived for the majority of your life.

As a child, I was told and believed as a child that if did something bad,  a snake and Jesus would appear and strike me down and bit me, I lived in fear of that for a long time then I realized that this was so not true! When I did I was so angry that people in my family would tell me such a blatant and scandalous lie. Why would they do that? In that process, I had to learn about questioning a belief that had me living in fear, forgiveness and creating my own moral code. Lots of lessons from the one process of questioning what you believed was the way to live and the truth. 

What are some of the beliefs that you still hold that you resist but do it because its easier and all that you know?

Another story I was told growing up - don't let the sun meet you asleep, it signaled that you are lazy especially on a Saturday. A Saturday was meant for chores and errands to be done early. That haunted me for a while until I moved to another country and became room mates with people from different parts of the world. We would go out partying on a Friday night and I would be up before the sun on Saturday, they would ask me why don't you rest? we had a long week and long night. All I could say was I did it this way all my life up to now. But you are tired and sleepy! its not working for you! Complete wake up call!

Beliefs can change, Beliefs can shift, what we believe shows up in our lives, in how we live, in what we tolerate, in what we allow

They are simply, quite important

Important enough to review them especially when they no longer serve you

Peace

Now What? Akosua's new book launches in March 2021

Now What? New Book Out Pre Order 

Your Clarity is like an Amour

 Notice how certain people will spin out of control when they can't figure a way to hook you, control you or get in your head. Your clarity is like a suit or amour against the behaviors of those who are accustomed to being able to make other pawn in their games. Maryam Hasnaa

Control is an addiction. Humans love to be in control, it makes us feel safe, we make up stories that allow  us to believe that we are in control when many times we are not even close, its all an illusion.

We go out of our way to control situations, people and events. When we believe that we are not in control or losing control, we get out of control. People literally lose their mind.

Many times we over analyze, ask questions and act as if we don't trust the process. Trusting the process allows us to let go of control. Trusting the process comes with trusting yourself. Trusting yourself comes from doing the inner work. It is a process.

I have learned that surrender and letting go takes courage. It seems to others that those who practice  the art of trust, surrender and letting go may come across as laid back or detached. Gone is the need to ask a million questions, to micro manage the process or to blame and shame. The work is put in and the process is trusted.

Peace

From Confusion to Clarity - An Online Workshop - 23rd January 2021

Now What? Akosua's new book launches in March 2021

Now What? New Book Out Pre Order 

From Confusion to Clarity - an online workshop - 23rd January 2021