I have always heard it said in church over and over. Don’t just survive…thrive. And so, at the beginning of 2020 the year of perfect vision. I created my thrive board. Yes, I said it. My board wasn’t just cut outs of places I wanted to travel and goals I wanted to accomplish. Sure, I added those for the aesthetics, but I took the time to sit with the heavenly father and created action plans to thrive in year 20 or 30. We don’t have to tell our real age, right? Good.
It was the beginning of a new decade for some others it was the end. But for me all it meant was I was freed from all that came before it and I now had a clean slate to be great. Plans were in motion. One thing though that was in the distance was the Corona virus wreaking havoc on China and Italy. But as the months progressed and goals were met. It went from world news to daily news. And before we knew it. Life in the tropics went from sunshine and white sand beaches to Pinterest boards with colour swatches of paint colours I could possibly change my bedroom into. The world however called it Quarantine.
The first two weeks trial took me for everything. If I didn’t get to go outside sooner rather than later and buy fast food. I may lose it. Well, at least so I told myself. Now it became surviving. Will I ever survive this? I was created in a beautiful blooming garden with daisies that carried the ocean breeze. I was made to flourish outside. Not ever was there a plan to be told to stay inside. That sounds like punishment. Was God so angry with the world? All these thoughts consumed me. My emotions were all over the place… And I began to question God about this plan of his to keep us indoors. And his first response was you said you wanted to thrive right? Uhmmm, hold on was God being like this? Did he just send me to my room and tells me to go back to my thrive board?
And so that’s exactly what I did. And day by day I began to work through the list of things I wrote as my actions to thrive. With a few short because of some restrictions.
I made spending time with Jesus my priority. My devotional time was not limited to 15 interrupted minutes. I had sometimes a full day. To pray, meditate and keep my worship music on shuffle.
It is important that we don’t forget that taking time to rest and rejuvenate adds more energy for productivity. In fact, there are a hundred ideas we thought about but said the weekend was not long enough to work on it. That we didn’t even realize how long ago we planned to get it done.
It is also important to not miss the moment. So many times, I find myself in Starbucks ordering a Triple Latte and stopping to smell the coffee before I drink it. I honestly believe the smell of freshly brewed coffee is my addiction and not the actual drink. But when we pause in a moment, we realize that growth requires us to assess where we have been and who we’ve become before rushing off to the next thing.
What I’m saying is. I became “project thrive”. Reconnecting with God reintroduced me to me. Not the normal everyone was rushing to go back to. But what really matters. Not always being anxious and playing catch up with my goals. Or checking boxes so that people could help me celebrate my accomplishments. I started to thrive from the inside out. I read the books I neglected to apply the lessons from the first time I bought it. I spent time with my family, not venting about work but really listening to what was on their mind all along. I loved better because I could now love myself better. I changed my diet and started to exercise. And the thought of me exercising motivated others to join. I started to feel my physical body morphed into a fit healthier person and I love her.
I’m not just talking about myself. This is you. Thriving starts with you. It doesn’t need pictures or destinations and adventures it just needs you to sign up to thrive.
Start with you. That’s the winning formula. You are the game-changer. The idea you have been waiting for to create that ground-breaking business. Will come when your mind is free and rested. That relationship you need to end will end when you are no longer tied to old things that used to serve you. The government may have issued a stay home order. But God pulled you in to thrive.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.2.1″][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.2.1″ type=”4_4″][et_pb_team_member name=”Yanique Grizzle” image_url=”https://crystaldaye.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Yanique-Grizzle.jpg” _builder_version=”4.2.1″ hover_enabled=”0″]29-year-old Confidence Strategist. Blogger. Mentor and Philanthropist.
Follow her on Instagram @iamyansie.bella
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