Tag: growth

Life

Is It Worth It?

Shaun Bradford

Before you send that text or email, or make that call or post, or act or react—

Stop…

Breathe…

and

Ask yourself…

“Is it worth it?”

“What will I gain?”

“What will I lose?”

“Is it worth it?”

A moment of stillness can save you a lifetime of regrets—speaking from experience. Also, momentary satisfaction doesn’t always end well—experienced in this area as well. As the saying goes, the chickens will eventually come home to roost. Again…

Stop… 

Breathe… 

and 

Ask yourself…

“Is it worth it?”

“What will I gain?”

“What will I lose?”

“Is it worth it?”

Love you!♥️

Shaun

Life

Happy Monday

Shaun Bradford

Found the following images in my Facebook memories. Couldn’t decide which to share so I decided to share both.

Photo Credit: Unknown

On May 27, 2018, I added the following caption when I shared the image above:

I saw this in a tweet and decided to share. When I describe my life to others, I always say my life is full of adventures, and this is EXACTLY what I mean. One roller coaster ride after another. I’m so grateful I know God. He keeps me grounded. Amen

Yes, life is like a roller coaster ride full of ups and downs and twists and turns, but God continues to keep me grounded. I am so grateful for my relationship with Him. Without it, I am not sure where I would be today.

This next image represents who I have become—a woman of vision and faith. The dreams are slowly, but truly, becoming a reality. I am loving this space I am in.

Photo Credit: Unknown

Praying you have a wonderful day.♥️

Love you,

Shaun

Thought I’d leave you with a little cuteness. He’s getting so big! I just love being an auntie.🥰
Life

Listen!! These Memories Be On Point

Shaun Bradford
God’s Favor (May 23, 2023) and God’s Favor Part 2 (May 23, 2023)

As you can see, the screenshot above is from last year, May 23, 2023. When I tell you that caption is a word, for real!

“Be sure to check your ego at the door. It’s not charity. It’s God’s favor.♥️”

And the hashtag!

“Don’t miss your blessing”

Whew!! Y’all already know I’m shouting!! Listen, timing is everything! It is not charity. It’s favor!!!

Okay… I believe I am done for the day. However, if God keep on moving and revealing like He’s been, I’ll definitely write more.♥️

Love you,

Shaun

Life

Before You Say “I Do”

Shaun Bradford

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

Life

Are You All In?

Shaun Bradford

Listen, I couldn’t help but smile when I came across one of today’s Facebook memories (included at the end). My only response when I shared the post seven years ago was, “I’m ALL IN!”

Thinking back, I thought being committed to the process would be a cakewalk. That being “ALL IN” meant it was only up from there. It’s funny how I did not account for the unpredictability of life. Nah… when I said I was all in, I just knew I would conquer every obstacle successfully the first time. Laughing because I had no idea of the roller coaster ride that was ahead. No idea that I would go through some of the same experiences (different situations with different people) multiple times before I could actually move forward. I didn’t know that I would self-sabotage opportunities or be used or abandoned by people who I thought had my back. Nah… you see, when I declared I was “all in,” I was at a point in my life where life was good. I was finally coming out of the trenches, and I could only see up from there. And up is where life has gone, but not without a few bumps, hiccups, and lessons along the way.

So, here is what I have learned over the past seven years. Being fully committed is a process. It’s a decision I make daily. No lie. Y’all, there are so many mornings when I wake up motivated and pumped, then by noon I want to throw in the towel because this commitment thing too hard. Listen, when I tell you God loves me! It’s God’s love, patience, presence and guidance that keeps me going. He always sends me just what I need in those moments that give me the strength and confidence to press forward.

Here is something else I have learned. The product of commitment is not for display. It’s not something to take pictures of and post for others to see. No, this commitment is sacred. It’s between myself and God. It’s a space that no one else has access to. Unlike back then, and even up until a year or so ago, I felt the need to show people what God was doing behind the scenes. I thought it was more important for me to show/share what God was doing than to let it happen authentically. I did it to be transparent. I was so big on transparency. Little did I know, my transparency was limiting my experiences with God. I was so focused on sharing the process and my testimonies that I couldn’t fully comprehend or embrace what I was experiencing. Whew! When I tell you I am loving this space I’m in! I am finally in a space where only God and I reside—a space that is exclusively for two. No guests allowed.

Growth!

Anyway, I believe I have written enough. I may or may not delete a few things. However, I believe leaving it as written is probably the most authentic. So, I’ll keep it all. See how easy that decision was. Smile

Here’s the Facebook memory I have been referring to—“Are You All In?” by Bishop T. D. Jakes.

Facebook Memory: May 5, 2017

My answer is still the same—Yes, I’m all in!

Praying you have a peaceful Sunday. Love you!♥️

Shaun