As the weekend descends....


Hey everyone,

My messages today are very simple. First off, get some much needed rest this weekend. There's a lot of tough stuff going on in the world. Add to that the everday struggles of relationships, expectations and deadlines and it's really difficult to keep showing up and pasting a smile on your face. I get that. I'm sorry if noone has seen that effort or all the work it has taking for you to keep being yourself despite all the things you're carrying. I implore you today, take a break. Take stock of the things weighing you down and let go of those things you can't control. We can only do so much... our energy is best spent attending to things that we can actually change.

Second, I think we need to make a better habit of complimenting each other. I have observed that sometimes when we see something that someone else does very well, we hardly ever stay in that place of admiration long before we move on to a place of envy, jealousy and discontentment. I think we find it so hard to be genuinely happy for others, without feeling like we are missing out on something. I've definitely felt that way in the past. But as I've grown up and my priorities have changed and changed again, I'm beginning to learn the importance of being able to appreciate soemone else's gifts and talents and achievements without thinking that I have to have the same set to be complete or to be achieving the same things in my own life. Also, since we can all be very insecure people, as outsiders, we are sometimes better at seeing those gifts people have than they are. We tend to get so stuck on all the things that aren't working and we conveniently skip over all the things that we excel at without even trying. Our gifts aren't always easy to accept, especially if you wanted something else that seemed prettier, or more famous or more succesfful. But, without getting sidetracked too much, I think the value of calling out those gifts and talents that you see in people is underestimated. Tell them they have a great voice or that they love well or that they are so present. Tell them what you see. Hopefully, it's good.

But it might also be an area of improvement. I was listening to a podcast the other day that spoke about how we would much rather pursue shallow and convenient acquantanships with many people than deep and honest relationships with a few. Because deep relationships can be uncomfortable and they require honesty, respect, commitment and actually love for each other to be maintained. It involves people holding you accountable and calling you out. It requires difficult conversations and confrontations. These relationships aret always pretty and you don't always hear what you want to. But their value is so much more than that comfort we get from those people that wouldn't tell us if we had spinach in our teeth. True relaionships that you can count on, start with things that are as simple as that.

God bless.

Dera

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