Are You Thriving Or Surviving?
Written by: R. Natasha Stephens, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Let's just dive right in. I discovered that knowing your true identity through your life's purpose is the difference between surviving and thriving.
For many of us, every morning we awaken with the stress of reaching our workplace on time then work like donkeys and by the time our work gets wrapped up by the end of the day, we are exhausted. Once we reach home, we sit before a television as our means to unwind, while grabbing food that is most convenient to eat and most likely unhealthy. We spend years practicing this ritual. Operating at this pace, our inner voice as it is connected to God often gets suppressed.
As we scurry around to materialize our ambitions, we are too busy for reflection and introspection, not realizing the reason for our existence. Therefore, our identity, which is the true reflection of ourselves in relation to God and not things, people groups, careers and achievements, gets lost in the hustle and bustle. This is surviving!
As we unsuspectingly build a life making decisions based upon societal and cultural norms and people's acceptance, it limits a life that is meant to be creatively designed according to the innate gifts and talents that you have yet to unearth because it is impossible for conformity to lead you to this discovery. Your true identity that is the treasure hidden deep within, will require some excavation.
This is exactly why you have questioned the meaning of life. Think about it, as creative as God is to create the earth and all things above and beneath it, including each one of us of which there are no duplicates, surely there is more to be discovered of your place here on earth.
I challenge you to make efforts to connect to that inner voice. Try taking some time to disconnect from the world. Start with 20 minutes out of the day to turn off the tv, radio, and any form of media. By the way, did you know that another word for media is medium which means to stand between the source and the object? The media in whatever form can stand between you and the life source, the Creator God who designed and created you for a specific purpose. Your purpose is a life vision you were meant to build upon that solves a problem in this world during a specific era. How exciting is this! All of the problems you feel you are inundated with, your life is meant to be a solution. Oh, the irony! That solution will actually save lives around you as your calling is not only meant to benefit you.
We will talk more in detail about the specifics of purpose later, but for now, you must first be convinced that there is far more to you than what you have seen thus far. Once you are able to focus inward, ask God questions regarding your existence like, what were you created for? What would bring you joy? What would bring you peace? Where do you start in discovering your true calling?
Practice this regularly and soon you will start to see positive change in your life. Pessimism, fear, insecurities and anxiety will have no place in your life and will be replaced with kindness, love, peace and joy as the answers to your questions are revealed through a guided process. Be patient with the process. It takes time as you come to know yourself in its most truest form..actually, it takes a lifetime. You are created to thrive!
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R. Natasha Stephens, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Natasha, a retired dental hygienist, turned entrepreneur as owner of Transformational Coaching with Natasha and a women's athleisure clothing brand, Ripped and Restored, is committed to the transformational journey as she discovers new ways of being and higher than realized levels of existence through the power of pain and using it to her advantage as a springboard to create an ideal life for herself. Along the way, she answered the call to empower others with this revelation. With fiery passion and authentic advocacy, she is dedicated to revolutionizing mental health and fitness by embracing the pain of conflict and resistance in whatever form as a weapon for good. Realizing that thoughts shape reality, Natasha's coaching model is built around mindset shifts resulting in realized potential. She loves to volunteer in local and global dental missions, physical exercise, and travel in her spare time.
