So the other day I read this post that read “6 + 3 = 9 and so does 5 + 4, the way you do things is not always the only way to do them. Respect other people’s way of thinking.” When I say that this was right on time when I read it! I will be candid enough with you to let you know that I have been fighting one of life’s inevitable storms for a few months now and at first, I was struggling big time because I thought my journey of success would be easy, breezy and beautiful. I thought that the red carpet of success would be rolling out for me by now and although others see me as successful, I ultimately define my success and I feel like I have so much further to go.
But lately, I’ve been experiencing a new found peace in my journey. Since I was a child, I always yearned for an extraordinary life with an extraordinary amount of success. And now I am realizing that it will take an extraordinary path to reach my ultimate life goals. Another major culprit that was causing my issues with this life-changing storm in my life was comparing myself to others. I didn’t even notice that I was doing it until one day I stopped and thought about what I was thinking about. Sounds crazy but sometimes we can allow our thoughts to run ramped and determine our moods and actions. We can see others achieve their successes and feel like “When is my time going to come?” For me, it wasn’t even about that. My issue was that I felt like “When will I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor?” or “God, what is taking you so long? How come I can’t enjoy the pleasures of life right now like everyone else? Aren’t I serving you? Where are you? Why is it so hard?”
That’s when I decided to change my thinking. I looked around at the people that were “enjoying the fruits of their labor” and I realized that most of them were not living the life that they wanted; they were still tied to a job or circumstance in life that was not allowing them to become what they truly desire. And it hit me. “Maria, you have been diligent and dedicated and you have proved to yourself that you stand for something. You have gone after your purpose to manifest your dreams in spite of whatever odds you may have faced. You are living in purpose and defining the legacy you want to leave even when it’s making you uncomfortable. You are the essence of what you preach.” I fell into a state of peace which I have never experienced before. So much so that if God were to call me home tomorrow or earlier than I expected, then I would leave in peace knowing that I lived every day standing for something and becoming who I wanted to be so I could honor what God has called me to do. WOW! At my age, not too many people can say that, but I can.
So why did I just tell you all of this? Well, I want you to know this very fact. We are all trying to get to that number 9. Some people will get there by adding 8 + 1; some people will get there by adding 2 + 10 and then subtracting 3. The key is that we are not to judge how others get there and most importantly we are not to judge ourselves either. You equation to get to “9” may look COMPLETELY different from others and that is perfectly fine. If you are not where you want to be then start to embrace the season that you are in. If you are reading this then I am going to go out on a limb and say that you do not desire a mediocre life, one that is said to be reasonable but which is really a mask for fear. You want to live a life of freedom and one that demonstrates to the world that you are living in your purpose, embracing your legacy and manifesting your dreams no matter what the cost. So what if you’re in a rough patch that is a result of you chasing your dreams? Most people are in rough patches and they are not even pursuing their passions. Now I am not saying to judge them, because once again, we are all experiencing our own journey to get to that “9.” Nonetheless, embrace your season of difficulty for your dreams and applaud yourself for courageously going after what YOU want and not what the world tells you is “normal.”
I think that we allow others to define what success is or what “normal” is for us instead of boldly setting our own rules and setting our own precedence.
I leave you with this question. If you were no longer here next month, would you be satisfied with the message that your life sent? Would you feel as though you have accomplished what you wanted in spite of your circumstances? Would you be proud of your legacy? I hope that you would be and if you wouldn’t be then praise the fact that you are still on this earth and you have the power to change that. Utilize what you have access to and if there is any way that I can serve you through any of our purpose living tools or Embrace Her Legacy resources then feel free to see if any of them are a good fit for you.
We are all embracing a new season, one that is usually to provoke change and achievement. I am here to serve you in the best way that I can but it’s ultimately your decision to live in purpose and embrace your legacy!
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy