You say you want to change but are you willing to put in the work? I know this may sound hard but hear me out!)
Years ago I had a seed planted inside of me that I did not know was there. It wasn’t until I reflected on my childhood years and my time spent in High School, where I had a clear memory of a friend helping her to process her grief surrounding the loss of her family member and constantly supporting her by giving her a listening ear to vent about her personal and family traumas and issues. I realized then that I had a calling to support and be of valuable assistance to others, especially as more and more friends sought me out to share the problems they were facing or to just get my thoughts on something they wanted to do.
In college, I majored in Psychology to get to understand the human mind and how the environment and people interacted. I then pursued my Masters in Social Work, where I became licensed and started to counsel, advocate, and support patients in one of the top hospitals in New York.
Working in a hospital 9-5 job as a licensed Social Worker in New York City, I counseled, advocated, and supported patients five days a week, sometimes six. I yearned quietly to become more self-aware. I, however, was giving my all to my patients; working long hours and feeling stressed and overwhelmed. I was making an impact with others, but not with myself. I felt lost, drained and my mind felt cluttered and I constantly felt unhappy.
I had hit burn out. I worked hard to get to a place where I thought I should be feeling fulfilled and satisfied with my service, yet I was internally drained. This experience propelled me to start an online coaching business to continue to serve but to also have freedom, flexibility, and creative space.
During my burnout phase, I told myself that I needed to make changes. I needed to become more self-aware of my thoughts and feelings and I wanted to exercise, eat healthily, meditate, be mindful and be present every day, and live my life on my terms. Yet, this was hard to cultivate. I made excuses each day. It was until a personal emergency came up where I said to myself that beginning now, I will start to make changes.
In becoming more vulnerable with myself to change my mindset:
1. I stopped coming up with excuses in my head. I committed to a day to start the process of my transformation and started to practice to meditate using a 10 minutes a day app called “Headspace” to learn how to be still and focus.
2. I started to schedule my 90 days plan for my life and my business and set daily and monthly tasks to complete that are in line with my personal and business goals and vision.
3. I started a 30 day Yoga challenge that allowed me to focus on becoming centered and setting my daily intentions. Yoga also helped me with my anxieties.
4. I started to practice to be mindful and present in each moment and to appreciate each day that the Universe (God ) gives to me. This allowed me to become clear with my thoughts.
5. I started to say “NO” to things that do not interest me and prioritized what does.
6. I started to think more positive thoughts about my life, my family, friends, and my business and started using affirmative words daily, such as:“ I will live a life of freedom”, “I choose to be happy”, “ I choose to live a life of abundance”, “ I choose to be mentally, spiritually and physically healthy”.
7. I practiced loving daily even when situations arise that love is hard to feel or give.
8. I committed to being of service to my family, friends, community, and others throughout my life in different ways.
9. I chose to build up myself and the people around me by highlighting their strengths and not their weaknesses.
10. I give thanks to God through prayer and meditation daily, as gratitude and humility are constant and very important to keep one grounded.
That was the beginning of my journey to self-awareness. I hope my story EMPOWERS you today and you will use some of the tools I used to become clear with yourself and to take actions on your path to self–awareness to ultimately open up doors and new perspectives for you to have success in your career, in your relationships, and in your life!
Please share this blog with all your friends and family who you know can benefit from this information. As always, please comment below and share your insights, takeaways, and/or feedback.
With Love,
Racquel
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