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Blah, Blah, Blah...
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Have you ever desired to buckle down in a particular area of your life, but the battle within was so intense that you struggled to believe that you could actually make progress?
Or have you ever accomplished something so massive that soon after your big achievement fear tried to creep in, and before you knew it, you were developing “imposter syndrome” (a psychological occurrence in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments) and found yourself in a state of “self-doubt"? If you answered yes, then I am positive that this short blog note is just for YOU!
For starters, I will say, my answer is YES to all of the above! Meaning, I have dealt with all of the above feelings, emotions, fears, and inner battles! And if you’ve read and/or followed any of my social posts, then you are well aware that my journey hasn’t been “smooth sailing” at all.
In fact, at times, the waves in life were so strong, that I contemplated jumping in and just allowing the storm to have its way. I was tired. I was over it. I was DONE with people and the many disappointments that life continued to bring.
But…deep down, there was a consistent tugging (aka Holy Spirit) in my heart, and a "still small voice" whispering to me, saying, “I will never leave you or forsake you. Greater is HE that is in thee. I can do ALL things through Christ…the Battle is NOT yours…” And if I’m honest, I would have moments of extreme anger as I felt like God had dealt me a pretty bad hand. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that a loving and caring God would allow so much pain. At times, I was furious and wanted nothing more to do with God. I honestly felt like he had failed me on multiple levels.
However, in his grace and mercy, He would let me have my rant (s) and love me back to life each and every time. He would walk me through his word and show me just how much he truly loved and cared for me. He would show me how his hand was ALWAYS on my life (even in times of deep pain and struggle) and how so many did not survive what I survived—not because he had respecter of persons, but simply because even in my ‘deep pain’ and times of distress, I held on to the little faith that I had (God Honors FAITH).
You see, there were situations and circumstances that were completely out of my control (i.e., family trauma, the choices others made, etc.) Nevertheless, what I soon realized was although there were things that I absolutely could not control, I could make different decisions and control the things that I had been empowered to change!
In her book, Switch On Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health, Dr. Caroline Leaf puts it this way:
Our choices—the natural consequences of our thoughts and imagination—get “under the skin” of our DNA and can turn certain genes on and off, changing the structure of the neurons in our brains. So our thoughts, imagination, and choices can change the structure and function of our brains on every level: molecular, genetic, epigenetic, cellular, structural, neurochemical, electromagnetic, and even subatomic.
Through our thoughts, we can be our own brain surgeons as we make choices that change the circuits in our brains. We are designed to do our own brain surgery. This scientific power of our mind to change the brain is called epigenetics and spiritually it is as a man thinks, so is he (Prov. 23:7). The way the brain changes as a result of mental activity is scientifically called neuroplasticity. And spiritually, it is the renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:2).
This (along with many other “God-sent” tools) revolutionized my life! And this isn’t to say that life just stopped ‘happening’ to me (because it didn’t); but what did change was ME! I changed! I no longer looked for outside sources to determine what happened on the inside of me (that’s not the outside world’s job—that’s a personal journey. A path that I have to choose EVERY day of my life).
I no longer sulked in what went wrong as a child, or in my childhood neighborhood, or in my family, etc.—but instead I made a God-led decision to change the narrative. And for those of you who might be thinking, well, you can’t forget the past…I would say yes, you are correct; but I am of the belief that I can boldly address the past, yet NEVER allowing it to taint, taunt, and place limits on my future.
In essence, when you truly start to heal, get focused, buckle down, and push forward... distractions will sound like: Blah, Blah, Blah…also known as silly or pretentious chatter or nonsense (which comes in many forms). Furthermore, the key is this: it’s not what happens, it’s how you choose to handle what happened. Because guess what? People will continue to be people. This world will continue to wax cold—and if you allow what’s going on to control how you believe, see and view your own life, you will be in for a dangerous roller coaster ride.
SO, my kind advice to you is this: FOCUS on the RIGHT things! Fight through distractions like your entire life, calling, God ordained purpose, well-being, career, ministry, relationships/healthy connections, etc., depends on it! Because it does!
Being focused is a real thing. But it’s up to YOU! Don’t give anyone or anything that much power over you! Trust God. Trust His process. And watch him work like ONLY He can do!
I am proof! FOCUS!
Love y’all!
Canena Adams, MA, BSW, SRAS
Communications Coordinator at
The University of Tennessee
Wife | Mother | Writer | Author | Public Speaker | Social Worker | Business Owner | Nonprofit Founder & Director | Sexual Risk Avoidance Specialist | Healthy Family & Relationship Advocate | Adjunct College Prof. | PhD Student
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