Whole and Healed

Are you a whole and healed person or are you a fractured puzzle? Have the struggles and trials of life taken a toll on you and your mental peace? Disappointment, anger, regret, bitterness, and sadness can change how you look at life, the world, and even yourself. Were you disappointed in friends, family, or people that you love and respect? Do you feel as if you aren't able to trust anyone? Expectations are difficult because people always let you down even when you go above and beyond for everyone else. Has negativity overtaken your outlook on life? Let me give you some hope. Life can be celebrated, enjoyed, and full of optimism.

Life is a gift many of us don't fully embrace because we're bogged down with trivial daily tasks, work, family responsibilities, societal expectations, and trying to be whatever the goal that we've set for ourselves. The saying, "Don't be so busy working that you forget to build a life" is apropos. Upon death many recount the regret of not doing something rather than relishing in all that they did. 

"Don't be afraid that your life will end; be afraid that it never begins." 

Life is meant to be lived. You would not have been given the gift of life if it was not. Certainly, bad things happen, however, allow them to serve as a lesson and not a prison sentence. 

"There is no mystery to the miracle of self-healing; it is courage, commitment, and consistency that moves us from misery to inner peace." – Yung Pueblo, Inward

Take the time to journal, meditate, rest, eat healthy, pray, connect with God, exercise, strengthen a friendship, and find things that bring joy and peace to your life. Personally, for me, my faith in God is what sustained me during the darkest times in my life. Faith means complete trust or confidence in someone or something according to Dictionary.com. No matter whether it's disappointment or abandonment. Faith for me is the belief that things will work out. It's also being grateful for what you have. 

I've often felt like a scrambled puzzle that has been tortured into pieces and shells of myself. Instead of being broken, I desired to be healed and whole. I asked myself, where was my happiness? My joy? Contentment always seemed elusive as if I was always chasing it, yet, I never attained it. If I even for the briefest moment found joy, it would often be a fleeting moment. This is not the way to live. If you are always waiting for the destination, you'll never be happy. You'll always chase happiness. It will never find you. Happiness, joy, and peace reside at the moment. Linger there and you may enjoy its presence. Learning to live in the moment can be a difficult skill to master, but with practice and focus it can be done. Life can be lived in joy and abundance fully. 

Is there something that you need to view differently? How about you? Are you constantly comparing yourself to others? If so, stop right now. Take a look around and ask yourself, who are you? For me the answer is simple. I am God's chosen child. Are you surprised that I didn't list writer, podcast host, lifestyle editor, community advocate, mom, and wife? Those are all things that I do. It is not who I am. Many people struggle in finding an identity within themselves and not of what they do. Don't get me wrong, I am proud of each of those titles because they are a part of me, however, they are not solely me. Compassionate, witty, intelligent, and snarky are words that sum me up more than my titles. 

Depression and anxiety are on the rise in modern society because too often people see social media and believe that the millisecond captured on film is real. In essence, it is real, yet it does not convey the whole picture. The hard work, the long hours, the missed opportunities are never shown and all everyone sees is the result. Don't focus on the other's result, focus on your journey. Be present in your moment.

Are you rooted in what others think of you? If you are, you will always be under someone else's control and never feel fulfilled. Where is your voice? Your thoughts? Let no one take more importance in how you see yourself than you. There is only one you and you are amazing. Trust God when he told you that I have a purpose for you and you alone. The world needs you and what you have to offer. Timing is everything and sometimes you have to be patient and wait for your blessing. Trust in what is for you is for you. No one can change that. Allow God to direct you. Work on yourself and find the healing that you need to be the best version of yourself. You deserve that. No one can love you until you love yourself. You deserve to be whole and healed not broken and in pieces. "I know this transformation is painful, but you're not falling apart; you're just falling into something different, with a new capacity to be beautiful." – William C. Hannan