by Apatterson | Jul 21, 2020 | Personal Growth, Relationships
It seems as if everywhere you turn, there’s news of Covid-19 cases getting worse, people losing their jobs, someone being killed at the hands of law enforcement, racism at an all time high, civil unrest, financial struggles and yes, death at alarming rates. I just want to turn it all off. And I did turn it all off.
I recently suspended my Facebook account, turned all the news channels off on the TV, stopped the breaking news alerts on my phone, and stopped accepting phone calls from negative people. I work shorter hours each day in my business, I am learning some new hobbies around the house, (still paining furniture and resigning rooms), decluttering and getting rid of tons of stuff.
I am reading tons of new books, listening to some great music, doing Tai Chi w/ my husband, going to bed really early, I have moved into a season of deeper prayer and meditation and yes, writing and creating new ideas.
I have loved being disconnected from all of the noise. This is a new lifestyle that I have adapted and I am loving it. I plan to keep it. While, I will reinstate my Facebook account, I will merely use that platform as a small part of fulfilling my purpose. It’s simply a vehicle to use for messaging…it’s not at all meant to consume your life.
We are living in some challenging times. Times many of us have never imagined would happen to us. But the truth is, crisis always proceeds transformation. And we all know the world is in need of transforming. As we are living in what is insurmountable uncertainty, there is always one thing that never fails and that is our hope in God’s promises.
I live with this hope everyday, knowing we will get through this. We may experience some loss and some pain…but we will get through this. I wish I had a crystal ball to tell you when it will all end. But I don’t. I also realize that we will always have unpredictables to show up. It’s how we respond to them that shows us who we are. What the world is going through collectively, will reveal who we are and it has revealed who we are.
If each of us take some time to work on expanding, releasing and growing in our own personal lives, then collectively we will be able to change the world. This is why we must become the change we want to see in the world. This entire season of uncertainty has revealed something to me about myself.
I didn’t realize that had certain biases. I didn’t realize that I would become angry about certain things. One of the reasons, I have turned it all off is so that I can deal with those internal aspects of myself that I’d ignored or not recognized. You see, I want to be apart of the solution. And when we don’t tell ourselves the truth about ourselves, we create a bigger problem trying to solve a problem. We then become the problem…not the solution.
Remember, an angry generation cannot create peace and a wounded generation cannot bring healing.
If we want to be a part of the solution, then each of us have got to face our own fears, anger and wounds. We can’t give to the world what we can’t give to ourselves. I can’t tell you how to deal with what’s happening around you. But I do know that we all must play an important role in driving the new narrative and rewriting a new cultural story for our own lives and for the world.
So what I will tell you is to get very clear about who you are in this season and what you can do to help move us in a new, better and brighter direction for our lives individually and collectively. It’s the hope we have being actualized in each of us.
And if it takes you turning it all off in order to get clear, I recommend doing so. Because when you come back…you will be ready to turn up…and Amplify!
by Apatterson | Mar 21, 2020 | Personal Growth
In 2019, I released my book Living in The Divine Ache™…Giving Birth to Your Next Level. Little did I know at that time, that we would all find ourselves living our own collective Divine Ache™ on a global level. We are all living in a time when millions are finding themselves stuck and facing some unimaginable truths about their lives and their future. We’ve got more questions than we have answers. For many, it feels as if they woke up one day in someone else’s life. We didn’t see “IT” coming. “How in the Heck Did We Get Here?” Many of us are scared, angry and confused, all at the same time. Because we are all traveling uncharted territories without a navigation system or map. How do we walk this invisible path without giving into our fears and anxieties? No one person has all the answers or even the right answer for that matter. Yet there is a PATH we can all take that will get us through the “Ache” and allow us to give birth to an entire new way of living, being and loving. I want to take you on that Path!
by Apatterson | Mar 19, 2020 | Personal Growth, Relationships
It’s true. We are facing some unthinkable challenges, uncertainty and chaos. For many, this has felt as if the rug has been pulled from under you. But I want to remind you that we’ve been through a lot of strange and unthinkable times before and we made it. And we will get through these times as well.
We can’t always look to our leaders and the government to save us…we must learn to save ourselves. As I listen to the experts tell us how to be proactive when dealing the virus…I am reminded of what my grandmother and mother told us growing up.
1. Wash your hands…we heard this over and over again. 2. Keep your hands out of your face. My mom used to tell me this all the time. 3. Clean up and put some a little Clorox in that water…we grew up with Clorox…cleaning everything from door knobs, light switches, pouring a little in our dish water and more. 4. Go to bed…the days of old were not spent staying up all night binge watching your favorite shows. Our parents knew that getting the proper sleep and rest kept the body’s immune system strong and that sleep repairs the body. 5. Open your mouth…and in my mouth went a heaping table spoon full of cod liver oil chased with some orange juice. This was given to us every single morning, especially during the winter months. My grandmother used to say, that cold, flu or pneumonia couldn’t stick to our lungs because we took this nasty stuff. But the truth is…we NEVER got a cold or the flu. 6. Eat your vegetables. We always had fresh veggies on our plates everyday…fast food was like a delicacy because we only ate it on special occasions. We ate from our own kitchen.
My point is, you already know what to do to keep yourself safe and healthy. Some of these ideas that I’ve shared may be too old school and may not appeal to you. That’s okay. I simply want to remind you that we all know how to survive. We’ve done it before and we will do it again.
Don’t allow fear to grip you and keep you from living your life. Take the necessary precautions, but also move with the confidence that God will take care of you. Move with the knowing that you will get through this.
As humans, we don’t like living between the knowing and the unknowing. But it’s a space where we can ONLY trust and depend on God and that’s a good place to be. I can assure you that on the other side of this crisis there will be some amazing lessons, blessings and growth for us all.
Remember to secure the children and don’t allow them to constantly listen to the news media or hear you talking about this a lot. Don’t language your life with negative words. Learn to language your life with words that give power, inspiration and hope. All our little ones need to know is that you will keep them safe. That it will be okay. Reassure them, make this time feel like an adventure.
Now, I want you to take nice deep breathe. Grab you some tea, kick your feet up and relax and get some rest.
Remain calm. You got this. Our God Still Reigns!
