My life. My world. Love, hope, peace, joy & happiness.
God’s guidance is strategic. Don’t worry yourself trying to figure it out. He knows where He’s taking you. He knows what lies ahead—the good and the bad. Trust Him and allow Him to lead and protect you. Rest assured, He’s got you! Everything is going to work out in your favor.♥️ ~Shaun
Year50…
I really don’t have much to write about today; however, my spirit is speaking and this is what I’m hearing…
“I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1
Here’s an excerpt from my journal entry written on May 28, 2017:
“God’s not dead. Jesus is not dead. Remember this. He’s all powerful! God is about to open windows. You NEED to be ready! READY! PREPARED!”
Not quite sure what all happened after that, but I do know later that year I launched my first consulting business, The ResearchDiva–RD. Y’all, I was ready. Couldn’t tell me nothing. I was The Research Diva–RD, ready to save the world! Global health equity was my mission and I was on it. When I tell you I just knew I was about to be working with international entities. Looking back, maybe I was a little too confident. Doors were opening and I was making moves and connections. However, what I had not accounted for were the hiccups and setbacks that came with my quest. Y’all, why did I think everything was going to flow as smoothly as I had planned in my head and on paper? All it took was one blow and I was out. Just being transparent. I was done. Physically I was still there doing the work; however, mentally I was gone.
So, here I am seven years later seeing and hearing that same message everywhere—“Be Ready! Windows are opening.” And I see it happening. Over the past few months some of the same opportunities I had 7-8 years ago have re-presented themselves and of course I am taking them. I know everyone doesn’t get second chances so I refuse to let them slip away. However, unlike seven years ago, I am not oblivious to the fact that all good things and successes come with challenges. This time I’m prepared. Yes, this time, no matter what happens, I will keep going.
Listen, please do not think this message is only for me. No, YOU should also be ready and prepared. Windows are opening. Setbacks and disappointments will happen as you move forward, but keep going!
I pray you are having a wonderful day thus far. Be blessed and again, keep going!♥️
Love you,
Shaun
Happy Sunday! So, below is my Facebook memory from five years ago. Smiling because I mentioned my plans for before and after Year50. Have I lived up to them? Hmmm…
Facebook Memory: May 26, 2019
Good Morning! No social media find this morning, only my random thoughts.☺️
Change is inevitable. It has to happen. It’s not always easy because it requires action, and sometimes action means leaving our comfort zones.
In less than a month, I’ll be 46 years old. I’m almost 50, y’all! Unbelievable! Anyhoo.. I often sit back and think about the things I’ve already accomplished, and smile. I’ve accomplished more than I’ve ever imagined. Which is awesome! However, I have so much more to do.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had this one goal- work like crazy the first 50 years and the other 50, do whatever I please. Well, I have 4 more years. Lol! I love adventures. Let’s see what I can accomplish within the next four years.😆
Well…
Back then, I could not have imagined that COVID-19 was headed our way and everyone’s lives would change. At that time, my plan was to finish working like crazy until I reached 50. Had no idea I would resign from my job two years later and venture out on my own. Honestly, I would have laughed if someone had told me I would have because I couldn’t see it. I was okay with my side hustle.
So, when I think about it, I actually began doing whatever I pleased prior to Year50. I may not be where I would love to be right now (it’s coming); however, this freedom over 50 is like no other. Not only am I free to make fluid decisions in regard to my career path, but I am free to live life as I please. Y’all, I really am loving life on this side of 50.
Year51 is loading…
Praying you have a beautiful day. Love you!♥️
Shaun
Listen, this final month of Year50 I am intentionally living it to my fullest. Today, I am letting my hair down and letting Charlene (I also named my hair years ago—Donna inspired) do her thing!! Charlene, do you because you’re 50 too! Yes, I am intentionally enjoying this last month. Blocking any and everything that tries to stop it.
This is Year50!♥️
Year51 loading…
Shaun
Smiling from ear to ear! Y’all, it’s the final month of my jubilee year! YAY!!!
Today, I can happily report that I am not the same person I was last year. Not the same at all! I asked God to make this side of 50 different, and He is doing just that. Not much has changed physically or outwardly since last year; however, so much has changed internally. Y’all, my mindset is different. If you know anything about the process of change, you know that it has to happen in the mind first. When I tell you I am soooo very proud of me!
In last year’s journal entry, I listed 50 things I wanted to achieve over the next 10 years. The list was very random. I even wrote to write the first things that came to mind, not to overthink it. Well, after revisiting the list, I believe everything I wrote is actually achievable. I can see and feel myself achieving them.
I also wrote, and will end with this:
“God, thank You for being patient with me.”
Y’all, I’m blessed.♥️
This is Year50
Shaun
That’s the word. Complete the assignment!
Y’all, this decade has been one wild ride! Whew!! What I am slowly learning is you have to complete your God given assignments before you can move forward. I don’t care how much you try to dodge them, if there is something that you are meant to do, be ready to encounter the same or similar situations until you complete the assignment or choose to stop moving forward (you settle).
Well, as I am fully entering this next decade (tomorrow will be exactly one month before Year51), I am committed to doing whatever God instructs me to do. A couple of days ago I was reading a past journal entry from several years ago where God had instructed me to do something very specific and I would not do it. Y’all, I allowed fear and my insecurities to get the best of me. Basically, I came up with all kinds of excuses about how others were more qualified and/or equipped for the assignment. Well, a few weeks ago, I encountered that same assignment. The exact same assignment. Y’all, after not moving forward as God instructed, I watched others attempt to do what I was instructed to do. Yes, God will allow you to watch things play out. As I watched, I would always hear, “that’s where you are supposed to be.” However, I allowed my insecurities to make me believe I wasn’t the right person for the job. I didn’t have the resources others did. But, oh how I forgot about the Ultimate Resource—God.
Now, that’s not the only incomplete assignment I have had the pleasure of reencountering. When I tell you this year has been the year of circling back. Every assignment I didn’t fully complete, I have encountered again. The only difference is this time I am not dodging them or trying to hand them off to others. Also, I am no longer spending tons of money on enhancing my skills or obtaining more certifications or degrees. I already have everything I need. What’s blown my mind is the people who really want to work with me, want to work with ME. They have seen the authentic version of me and they still want me. Y’all, people have been reaching out to me for the longest, for years, and I have been turning down opportunities or suggesting others for the jobs. Listen, I am good at recommending others and helping them shine. However, I have not done the same for myself. As I have written before, you have to see and feel yourself there, and I couldn’t. Well… now I can.
I’ll leave you with this, when God has a plan for your life, He won’t even let you mess it up. Now, He will allow you time to get your act together. However, no matter how many times you try to dodge your assignments, they will just keep showing up until you show up!
Side note: I might be writing a little more than usual during this time. It seems to be a pattern of mine. I have noticed that I tend to write more around the end of May and the beginning of June. Maybe it has something to do with my birthday—you know, while one chapter/year is ending and another is beginning. Anyhoo… Ain’t God magnificent! I just love watching Him work.
Thanks for reading! I pray you have the loveliest of days.♥️
Blessings,
Shaun
Wishing you a beautifully, blessed day.♥️
Love you,
Shaun
Honestly, I don’t have too much to add to last year’s memory. I believe it speaks for itself. It’s harvest season! My question is—Are you ready?
Facebook Memory: May 22, 2023
You have put in the work as well as remained patient. Now it’s time to reap what you’ve sown. Yes, it’s harvest season. Go get your blessings!♥️
Can’t you hear Keith Pringle singing, “Let Us Not Be Weary”? “For in due season we shall reap if we faint not.”
It’s your time!
Be Blessed♥️
Shaun
Before you say “I do,” check your motives or reasons for getting married. Here’s what I wrote five years ago when reposting a video that motivational speaker, Trent Shelton, had shared. His caption was, “Marriage will change the title but it won’t change the person!”
Facebook Memory: May 20, 2019
Not sure if I shared this video before. If so, I’m gonna share it again, because it’s on point! Before you get married, ask yourself why you’re getting married. And be honest!
For me (I KNOW I haven’t shared this before), I got married because: 1)I had a set timeline – had to do it before I was 30, 2) listening to others’ thoughts of what was considered a “good” spouse, 3) I was a single mom- single moms rarely found men who would treat someone else’s child like their own, so I thought (learned this from others and from my experiences with step fathers), and 4) I wanted to be seen as someone who was worthy of marriage, because I didn’t feel worthy. I felt like my past mistakes had made me unworthy and I should’ve been happy that someone wanted to marry me. I had no clue of what I was getting myself into. It wasn’t like God didn’t send warnings. Just thought I knew best.🤦🏽♀️
Before you say “I do” be honest with yourself. Don’t let the thought of getting married, or wanting to feel “worthy,” have you make the wrong decision. That one mistake can be costly- financially, emotionally, mentally and physically.
Here are some of the things I learned. Heed God’s warnings. Believe me, He’ll send plenty. Trust your gut. Don’t try to make the person fit your future. If they don’t fit, THEY DON’T FIT! And if you weren’t happy before you said “l do,” you definitely won’t be happy afterwards. You can only pretend for so long.
Lastly, I knew things were off when I could never picture us growing old together. I could never see a future with him. Honestly, I tried, but I just couldn’t. Life. Life lessons.
That was actually written 11 days before my ex finally signed the divorce papers. Whew!! What a time that was. Here’s what else I have learned since I have had years to reflect:
Marriage is sacred (for real) and shouldn’t be entered into without love. Period! So many marry for reasons other than love. I know because, as you can see, I did. Then, reality sets in. It’s when you realize you made a lifelong commitment to someone you 1) didn’t love and 2) it’s for a lifetime (you don’t go in with divorce on your timeline). So here’s what you do. You first try to make things work to save face, especially if you’ve made sure everyone knew it was the best decision you ever made. However, no one knows you are slowly dying on the inside because you entered a commitment you knew you shouldn’t have. Then, you long for the real thing. You want to love and be loved, but now you’re stuck. Ha!! Oh, to be stuck or feel trapped is one of the worst feelings in life.
Listen, the next time I get married (because I will remarry—ain’t no doubt about it) it’s a decision I will not take lightly. Next time I am marrying for love, AND that love must be mutual. No more one sided relationships. I was once fooled when a person who had been married for years had told me “that love thing wears off so do not marry for love.” Well, that was definitely a lie. What they should have said was the newness may become a little dim (if you allow it to), but love doesn’t go away. If it does, it was never true to begin with. It was either infatuation or all for show. And I say this because for one I have been there, and secondly if that were true, love in all relationships would eventually fade away. Nah… it was never love.
Here’s part of my marriage story I don’t believe I ever shared.
If you know me, you know I love a great love story. Well, my ex and I were in his aunt’s wedding—a little over twenty years before we got married—as ring bearer and flower girl. We were on pictures together. Y’all, when I tell you it was the perfect story. You see, we briefly met that summer in Jackson, MS. My mom and his aunt were good friends. We participated in the wedding, then about a month later my mom moved us to Kansas. A little over 20 years later, we reconnected through the same aunt. Talk about the perfect Hallmark story. Ha! But it wasn’t a movie, it was reality. Y’all, believe me when I tell you reality will always trump the fantasy.
Again, think long and hard before you say “I do.” Listen, marriage is a realm of its own and should be kept sacred.
Guess what?! I’m getting married!! (Manifesting it!) Smile
Wishing you a wonderful week.
Be Blessed♥️
Shaun
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