A Time for Understanding

065/365: Show us your smile!
We all have spouts of intensity in our life, that’s just the rollercoaster we signed up to ride… and right now I just so happen to be experiencing one of those insane upside down and backwards loopy loops. So I guess you could say that I’ve been struggling with a lot lately… which is why I haven’t posted anything new in quite some time.

I’ve been dealing with  various issues ranging all the way from serious friend problems to mind-boggling car shopping. The stress….. tell me about it.
But I will say that even though there have been a lot of obstacles that I’ve been facing.. I’ve been learning a lot about myself and my habits, and with that I’ve been given more opportunities to change myself for the better. I’ve had so many little, yet profound understandings recently, in which I would like to share with you today.

First of all, just to clarify because I don’t believe I ever have… when I mention these ‘simple understandings’, what I mean by that term (incase you’re confused), are those small epiphanies that we experience as a result from maturing intellectually and spiritually. In other words, I’m relating to the moments when a deeper knowledge or ‘understanding’ encompasses our thought process, bringing forth a new perspective, or reasoning as to why things are the way they are. Basically, those moments when you’re just like “Oh.. Thaaaaaat’s why……”and everything just makes so much more sense.

Yea, I’ve been having a lot of those moments. So please, bare with me.
I love writing, and I very much desire to be a consistent publisher. But when life throws you lemons, sometimes there’s too many for one person to carry. That’s a lot of citrus.. and man it can sting, especially when there’s already open wounds in the mix. OUCH!

UNDERSTANDING # 1:
It’s up to you to teach people how to treat you.

There was once a quote I came across, the author unknown: “One only accepts the amount of love they believe that they deserve.”
Recently quite a few people in my life have been disrespecting me… Like c’mon… WTF is in the water that’s making this an Ashe-Bash time of the year?
After becoming so sick of experiencing such disregard…I made the decision to let people know how their actions are effecting me, and to make them well aware that I do not accept being treated as such. Just getting my word out and my point across makes me feel SO much better inside… and simply communicating our differences, has made our relationships grow stronger and healthier. Instead of me just stewing on how other’s are treating me and letting it go on, I took action, so that hopefully it doesn’t happen again. And at the same time, it’s helping me be more aware of my actions towards other people.. because I don’t want to make anyone else feel as disregarded or disrespected.. it just feels yucky.
A little piece of advice: Remember that everyone is usually caught up in their own realities, and sometimes we don’t realize the effect we may have on another individual. So try placing yourself in someone else’s shoes.. take people into consideration.. and communicate effectively so that you’re always on the same page.

UNDERSTANDING #2:
Positive self-talk goes a long way.

We only have enough room in our minds to think either pessimistically or optimistically about a situation or about ourselves.. There just can’t be both.
Our thoughts create our feelings and emotions. We cannot be thinking happy thoughts, and feel sad. And vise versa.. we cannot be thinking sad thoughts, and feel happy. Over time we create habits in our thinking processes. The way that we think today is the result of everything that we have ever experienced and have had to process in order to understand. Take that one in for a second… So, if overtime we have been conditioned to think down upon ourselves, we’re most likely going to wind up feeling depressed, or resentful. But if we choose to rewire our thought waves and instead we constantly support ourselves with loving thoughts, then we have no choice but to feel happy and uplifted. Give it a shot, I dare you to be happy.

UNDERSTANDING #3:
Your intuition is valid, and will not lead you astray. 

This one I have to thank my best friend for slapping into me.. I realize that I have been seeking out more validation from other people rather than from myself.. and that seems backwards. I have to remind myself that my intuition is on point, and that I can trust it. I know what’s good for me, and what’s not; what sits right in my heart, and what doesn’t.
That ‘gut’ feeling that tends to take over when we don’t know where to turn, is usually a signal from our higher selves. Hone into that sensation and truly feel it.. because more often than not, you already know the answer. Trust it. See what happens. Form a relationship with your intuition, and be on your merry way.

That’s all for now. Hopefully my experience gathering these understandings for myself helps you in one way or another.
Best of luck in whatever may be troubling you.
Just remember that we are never going to be perfect. Nobody is perfect, and it seems as though everyone’s trying to be ‘nobody’s’ friend. 😉 Be your own friend, my friends. And love every second of it.