Hello Family,
Happy Holidays & Happy New Year!🎉🎉🎉
I didn’t start 2024 with a bunch of “New Year’s Resolutions” because I have enough unfinished goals and projects as it is. I’ve been working on taking a gentler approach towards life lately. I don’t want to force my dreams to happen, relationships to work, nor do I desire to be understood by the masses. If 2023 taught me anything it’s....
YOU MUST BE YOUR #1 CHEERLEADER.
For example, I had conversed with close friends and family about wanting to continue my education months prior to me applying to colleges for the 2023-24 school year. Honestly, I had no idea when, nor how soon, I’d get my Master’s Degree. All I knew was I wanted another degree. My family, though supportive, had a million-and-one questions; because what child in their right mind leaves their career to go back to school?? I was the child, sister, friend, niece, that gave up a promising career to get a ministry degree. It’s not the most attractive concept… but I’m grateful I did. I had to commit to my own dreams in a new way. I quickly realized that if no one else is happy with my decision, as long as I am happy, I will be okay. Cheering myself on through the essays, the tears, the grief of leaving my job, the uncertainty of the move, and joy of something new made a world of a difference. Now, I have one semester of Graduate school under my belt.
What if you’re meant to shift your approach and focus towards previous goals, aspirations, and projects? Or what if you’re called to start something that hasn’t be created before?
I wrote more poetry in 2023. I even mustered up the courage to share and perform some poetry in the comfort of conversations with my friends. My poetry is literally my heart on paper, and I was so afraid of being known that I silenced that part of myself for years. I would write to process through my emotions but would be too afraid to share it with anyone unless the conversation warranted me sharing that part of me. This year I’ll be attending and sharing my work at open mics. I thought I was lowballing myself spending the last 365 days writing and processing through poetry, but it really prepared me to have more material to pull from when I do decide to share on more public forums.
I painted my heart out this year! I went from painting acrylic on canvas to adding various materials from left-over kanekalon braiding hair, leather, gold chains, metallic foil, and much more. I wanted to stop hiding in my art, and make it come alive – the life experiences, joy, pain, love, restoration, healing, all of it. I even mustered up the courage to create a mixed media painting for a final project for one of my classes.
(a fixed-sized graphic of HBO "Insecure" character Kelly saying, "You know what that is? Growth.")
I’ve met a host of artist within the past couple months, and soon I’ll be sharing my art in more ways than one… stay tuned!
Lastly, ✨Black Ponder Puffs✨, my motivation brand and sweet virtual diary, is growing. I’ve struggled with consistency since I’ve started sending messages back in 2020. The pattern was real… I’d start strong, and then depression would hit, and I’d slowly talk myself out of sharing anything.
ME TO ME: Who am I to be encouraging people when I’m living in a dark place with no end in sight?I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, so sharing felt far beyond what I was capable of. The truth it, I wanted to share from the place of “perfection” to appear like I “had it all together”.
Lord knows I DO NOT HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER.
So, since I’ve embraced this truth, I’ve also decided to accept that being gentle with myself on this platform means that these messages won’t look as they always have but they will have my honest thoughts and opinions on life. I hope that’s good enough.
I am sending tons of love, hope and inspiration your way! Take some time to look back at goals, aspirations, and resolutions you set within the past five years (if you have access to them of course). Build on what you already have. You’ll never know how great of a job you’ve done in setting yourself up for greatness until you take time to reflect on what you’ve already done.
Romans 12:2 (NLT) reads, “2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
You don’t have to set another “New Year’s Resolution” simply because it’s a new year and everyone is doing it. Your dreams don’t have to wait until the year is new to be accomplished. Your dreams are waiting on you, not a new year. Spend some time with God, pray, and see what God’s will is for you for this new season.
Trust the process. Don’t let time and procrastination hinder you from doing what you can do tomorrow TODAY.
I love you, Jesus Loves You MOST! Love and Be Loved.
Keep your head up, and if you can't that is okay to.
Stay encouraged. Be Fruitful.
XO Miss Ponder
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Citations:
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Love Love Love the transparency!!! ♥️