Akosua Dardaine Edwards's Blog, page 80

Follow the Small Wins

If You can use anything Lord, You can use me Seobia Rivers

This week I am in St Kitts and Nevis again. The activity is to conduct two focus groups and follow up on a project which focuses on the sustainable livelihoods of fisher-folk.
I am always amazed by the lessons that I learn in very simple spaces
I woke up this morning with the intention of walking to the beach seeing the sun rise doing a video to share and then getting ready for the day.
Every picture and video was lost, then I took so much time to see if I could recover it I had to rush out to get something to eat before the transport came, and whole host of other events which threw the day completely off what I had planned.
When the transport came we set off to see the progress of the programme. Seeing it immediately changed my mood, the small wins, the growth, the hope, the small things which turned out to be the big things.
Sometimes it's easy to get trapped in how something is supposed to go and supposed to be, when it does not follow that pattern it is easy to get stressed it is even more stressful when the attempts to steer it back to where we want it to be fail. This I have learnt is when we must go with the flow
Flow meaning to follow the small wins, follow the good. Be open to the surrender.
It can totally transform the day... for the better
Peace
Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love
Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal
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Dear December

life is rigged in our favor. life is rigged in our favor. in our favor, life has been rigged - Dr Krystal Jones


Dear December, giving thanks for you. Let me remember that: - rest is part of the journey - my ability to cope is a gift not a test - mistakes will be made - fun must be had - mind your own business - I must not throw away truth in favour of illusions

Peace

Have you read any of Akosua's work?What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love
Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal
Follow Akosua onTwitter

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Facebook

You are activity in motion

E very time you procrastinate Every time you stop being consistent Every time you lack discipline Every time you let fear win Every time you give up You are slowly becoming what you feared the most - Ama


There is not YOU & LIFE
There is not YOU trying to do life
You are activity in motion
We are life itself - it is not happening to us
Turn to your own self as evidence of life
When you are coming up with the who you are just don't come up with the things you have, the things you own, the outer things
What is the activity of your life?
What is the vibration of your life?
What are you resonating with?
The test is to demonstrate what you know & tangible things you have to be a success.
Life is not a pop quiz.
Bring everything , bring all of you, bring it all together
It is time to stand on what we "know", not only what we have.
We waste time in judgement about how wrong a situation is, how wrong the situation we are in is - Let that go
We don't need the energy of what is wrong.
It's called healing, it's called growth, it's called transformation
You cannot heal what you don't feel
You have to be willing to stand in this NOW
Or sometimes we pretend it is irrelevant because we don't want to deal with it
Look at it... The question is will be who we really are?
just a whole person growing through life.
Peace

Have you read any of Akosua's work?What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love
Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal
Follow Akosua onTwitter
Instagram
Facebook

Back on Home Soil

Your subconscious mind will try to stop you from taking uncomfortable actions. It will use fear, doubt, rationalization and excuses in order to convince you to not take action. Why? In order to protect you from imagined or real pain. Persist nevertheless . Gal Shapiro

I was very concerned about flying to Ghana on this solo trip. Not only did I not know anyone, my budget was tighter than a rubber band on a waist line! I talked myself out of going many many times.
Then one morning I just booked the ticket.
As I booked it, ideas just started coming to me
Why not ask James if he knew of anyone in Accra that I could speak to for tips? James is a person I met during last year who was born in Accra but now lived in the US. I sent him a message and immediately he responded telling me that his sister in law works for a tour company. She arranged everything with so much care and patience that when I arrived I absolutely felt welcomed and well taken care of.

Everything was not perfect, I could not use any of my cards nor withdraw any cash.
I had to find a solution and fast, especially as I found out whilst at dinner- well after eating the meal of lovely yam and fish
The restaurant was accommodating!
I called the bank home- they had blocked the cards, it would be sorted tomorrow

The lesson I learnt, do the thing, learn as you go. There will never be the perfect time not the perfect plan

As I left Ghana, I felt a renewed sense of purpose, it helped me not think about my long trip home from Ghana to Burkina Faso to Paris to New York to Trinidad. It would take me two days to get back on home soil safe in the knowing that when we have a burning desire to do something a way would be made with lessons to learn along the way on to who we are becoming
Peace

Have you read any of Akosua's work?What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love
Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal
Follow Akosua onTwitter
Instagram
Facebook

Thank you Ghana

Every leaf on every tree bears witness to the fact that life goes right, over and over again. Every cell in your body, precisely situated, enables you to do all you do . Ralph Marston



Most of the time I have been busy trying to control the things that I cannot control
wanting to hedge
wanting to hedge against life
to 2nd guess it, control it, compentalise it, map it out, get ahead of it as if life is this certain something that is against me
Life is not against me
I have been given a gift of life & its important to love the life that I have & this love is not the emotion, it’s the agape/direction/violition love. Not confusing it with liking. Its staying in the knowing that the dots will connect, whether I like it or not
We fall out of agape love with ourselves because we don’t like what we are doing or not doing
We are disappointed in ourselves blah blah or whatever the made up story is
We spend time focusing on the external hoping to get the external to change. But the initial focus has to be on the internal.
I have to shift
Somehow, we have this idea that I can stay the same
That I can think the same stuff, feel the same stuff, harbour the same resentments & somehow it will still manifest other than where I am
It doesn’t work that way
Can you change on the outer?
Yes definitely
But it must start on the inner
We are more powerful than anything we can possibly imagine
There are not even enough words to describe it
It’s beyond our capacity to comprehend
We get stuck on feeling that we have to have it defined
We don’t have to have it defined
Ask open ended questions
What if?
What might it be?
What else might be possible?
Who might I be if I choose different?
What would freedom from this "addiction" look like?
Ask yourself & keep your mind wide open, don’t judge the response
You have to be willing to go into the unknown
We think of the unknown as scary
Step into the mystery, the majesty, the potentiality.
We are this powerful people, this powerful species in this hypnotic trance of not enoughness & all that we have been told, taught, & conditioned. Just question that for one moment. & be open to the possibilities
Thank you Ghana.

Libreria - The Book Space that is Spiritual

I saw the space on IG, I loved the space. One year ago, I reached out to them to ask if it was possible to host an event there. They told me that the place was booked for all of 2019. And here I am in 2019 sitting in the same spot, speaking with the owner and presenting a copy of the book that I wrote whist in Africa! Welcome to the Zig Zag
Life!
The steps you take won’t always be forward. They won’t always be right. & they won’t always work out. But they will be what leads you to the place where you’re supposed to end up. For the lesson, for your own success, for the people, for you to heal, for you to expand, & for you to live — welcome the zigzag.

 Libreria, Ghana's newest literary movement dedicated to high quality African Literature & Diaspora Literature is a space where I can see myself sitting down for hours, learning about cultures and new lands, seeing other experiences that are similar to mine and learning!
I absolutely love what they did with the space and loved that I took the time to meet Sylvia who is responsible for making this available to all in Ghana

I feel inspired and blessed to witness it
Peace

Door of No Return

You really notice your growth when you’re presented with a situation similar to one you’ve experienced in the past & have a completely different outlook or reaction . Ebonee Davis

Cape Coast is a wild ride, between the multitude of colourful boats, the coast line, the hub of activity and people stands the door of no return at both Elmina's Castle and at Cape Coast Castle.
I was not prepared for it, reading it and seeing it were miles apart.
What struck me most is the absolute resilience of the people who survived the harrowing journey from being sold as slaves to freedom hundreds of years later, that we are here to tell the tale, that people are honouring the past by keeping the stories alive.
I am inspired by their journeys so much, I know now that I can always be a better person and rely on my mind and their strength to see me through anything.
I am reminded to never forget and never again
To make a difference and always think that I am a survivor
Peace

On the Flip Side of a Long Flight

Life sends you good things whether you are grateful or not. But with gratitude, life sends them to you faster. That is because gratitude is a state of being. Neale Donald Walsh

I finally made it to Accra Ghana! After 2 days of travelling, here I am. The place is hot, the vibes are high, the people are friendly, the African dust roads remind me of a time that once passed, a happy time.
I must admit I was concerned about my cash flow. I stressed over it for a week or two. Can I really make this happen on the budget that I have? Am
And as a testament on how thoughts create things I arrived with a small amount of cash and my cards, nothing unusual for me on my travels. I sat down to at a restaurant to eat dinner, when the time came to pay none of the cards would work, I walked to the ATM nada still no cash!
I asked the hostess at the restaurant if they accept USD- they were not interested, no madam we don't.
It would seem that I was in a bit of a bind
I called the bank back at home - turns out the card was blocked and the other one can no longer disburse cash outside of Trinidad and Tobago.
Who Knew? Talk about not paying attention!
I negotiated the cost of what I wanted to do while here without getting a cost, I eventually accepted it because I thought that my choices, my consequences.
My number one lesson was don't stress, make a decision and if that turns out to be a poor one, make another choice until you get to peace
Day 2 in Accra has been an experience
I give thanks for it all
Peace

Not Every Decision Needs a Decision

Sharing a post from Maxie McCoy

On my way to  Accra Ghana- a couple of days travel, so, will vibes y'all on the flip side with all the lessons
Peace!

I’m the queen of this. I will blow things up, sometimes prematurely, sometimes with force, sometimes with risk, so that I know. Or at least, that’s what I thought I was doing at the time. I was simply getting the answer sooner. I was seeing the light quicker. Why waste my time? Why not just KNOW? It shows up in forcing conversations. In asking pushy questions. In showing up at their door in another country, unannounced. In expediting answers.
But what I see when I look back on all of that is not wisdom and confidence in facing the truth, but a desperation for certainty. I was forcing clarity (yes, clarity can be forced). And while I may have received those things – clarity & certainty – in one way, that’s just that, they were in one way – my way. There wasn’t much space for the magic of time, or the respect of another person’s process.

Do we need to do that? Do decisions need to be decided? Sometimes, but I believe not always. Because situations can change. Because people can evolve. Because we grow. So, if we cling to getting an answer, now – we may sure as hell get one, but it’s most likely the answer that comes from an answer’s sake. Rather than sitting in the situation, wading through the commitment, and seeing what insights we can get from sitting in it, rather than from running in a specific direction because of it.

Not everything has to be a decision right then and there. Not every choice is meant to be made now. Not every direction is agreed upon.

And here’s why. Because often we’re making that decision we’re clinging to… to try and avoid future pain. To avoid uncertainty. To try and play our cards right now to win the game seven hands out. If we do that, sure, it’ll give clarity for right now because we’ll have avoided the possibility of what happens then. But we also miss the possibility of what happens then. We might win big! We might not. But if we don’t sit in the simmer, because we’re not sure where or how it’s all going, then we rob ourselves of either potential outcome.


  Have you read any of Akosua's work?
What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love
Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal
Follow Akosua onTwitterInstagram
Facebook

More Lessons from St Kitts

Your mind will always try to stop you with doubt, negative self talk, excuses, fear, negative future/ past images, etc You have to be aware of it and continue to choose better. Your mind is not your friend. You have to control it or else it will control you. Gal Shapira



The electricity at the hotel went off, it was about 4.30 am, I had big plans to take a run at about 5.30 am. I was not that adventurous. The sun came up and it was bright enough. I ventured outside to the top of a monster hill just to see the most beautiful sunrise at a point where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea. I was happy that I felt brave enough to show up. As I returned I decided to walk on the beach before heading back to the hotel to complete the emails and share the stories on social media.
As I returned to the hotel, no electricity!
What?
That means no WiFi!
I literally panicked. What do you mean there is no WiFi?
I walked to the reception, the receptionist explained that there is an island wide problem with electricity since last night, there was no word or guarantee when it would return.
I was still panicking
She looked at me like an alien
Why would you be panicking for something that we have absolutely control over?
Truth Bomb!
I told her, ok I will go back to the room, relax and read.
Good Ms Edwards
I did just that.
Panicking will not bring back the electricity so might as well make productive
The electricity returned a few hours later and all is well
Peace

  Have you read any of Akosua's work?
What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love
Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal
Follow Akosua onTwitterInstagramFacebook