Tag: hope

Life

Grateful For Second Chances

Shaun Bradford

Facebook Memory: February 13, 2023

God loves us so much that He gives us opportunity after opportunity to get things right. If we miss them, it’s on us. So grateful for second chances.♥️

Often, when we think of second chances, we think of opportunities we missed accepting. However, it also applies to opportunities we should have rejected or declined.

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself at a familiar crossroad, to accept—which I had done many times before and felt miserable afterward—or decline an opportunity. Well, this time I declined the opportunity. Had told a friend that I felt like I was being tested. Well, I was! Not even a few days later, I was presented with another opportunity, a better one; one that was perfectly aligned with my goals and purpose, and it was completely unexpected. I didn’t even see it coming. When I tell you I cried! Had I accepted the other opportunity, I would have been miserable, again. Which would have affected my mental and emotional, and probably physical, wellbeing. Listen, it felt so good to finally pass that test and I was gifted something better. Smiling

Here is how I am moving going forward. I am no longer accepting things that are not aligned with my goals, purpose, values, or worth. I asked God for different, which means I have to move differently. I am not saying I won’t make some of the same mistakes as before (I’m human), but it won’t take me as long to correct them. I’m growing. Life is changing. And I am so here for it. This side of 50 is different.

Well, that’s all I have for now. Wishing you a wonderful Galentine’s Day (you too, fellas😊)!♥️

Love you,

Shaun

Life

Fly Away

Shaun Bradford

Didn’t really know what to share for my second post of the day. Thought about not sharing anything at all. Was going to let today be a one post day. Then I kept hearing “fly away.” The first thing that popped up on Google was Lenny Kravitz’s song, “Fly Away.” Here are the lyrics. So soothing. So peaceful. Now, the actual song is anything but peaceful; however, it is somewhat soothing. I can see myself just letting go and being carefree. Anyhoo… Praying you are enjoying your day. Love you!♥️

I wish that I could fly
Into the sky
So very high
Just like a dragonfly

I’d fly above the trees
Over the seas in all degrees
To anywhere I please, oh

I want to get away
I want to fly away
Yeah, yeah, yeah

I want to get away
I want to fly away
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Let’s go and see the stars
The Milky Way or even Mars
Where it could just be ours

Let’s fade into the sun
Let your spirit fly
Where we are one
Just for a little fun
Oh, oh, oh yeah

I want to get away
I want to fly away
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Lyrics: LyricFind

Life

Self Love

Shaun Bradford
Originally shared on February 12, 2022

I used to believe doing something nice for myself was self love. I would buy myself something nice, treat myself to a fabulous meal, get a massage, or spend the day doing either everything I wanted to do or nothing at all. That was my definition of self love. Now… Now, it’s more about protecting my peace and my holistic wellbeing with my spiritual and mental wellness being most important.

Here are a few things I have finally learned and implemented:

– Saying “no” to things I don’t want to do, and without feeling guilty (yeah…it used to weigh on me), is self love. “No” is a complete sentence. No explanation needed.

– Protecting my space (physically and mentally) is self love. I am so mindful of who and/or what I allow into my space. Discernment has been key.

– Receiving good things without feeling like I don’t deserve them is self love. Yes, I deserve good things. I deserve God’s best. I mean, I am His child! Smile

– Being nurtured instead of always being the nurturer is self love. Listen, once you have been on the receiving side you can’t imagine settling for anything less.

– Putting myself and my needs first is self love. I believe this has allowed me to love even deeper. It has definitely strengthened my relationship with God.

It took me forever to get here (decades). And now that I am finally here I have no intentions of going back to life as it was. I love it here. Smiling

Guess you could say this is life beyond Year50.

I pray you have found true self love. Believe me, it’s beautiful and so peaceful.♥️

Shaun

Life

Hello Sunday

Shaun Bradford
You were chosen for this.

Happy Sunday! Over the last few years, I have written about being “chosen” so I am going to continue with the same theme. Here are a few captions from past years:

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find myself asking God, “Why me?”. His answer is always, “I chose YOU.”

I’m not going to lie, sometimes I have a hard time understanding why my life is as it is. Then I’m reminded that although small, I’m still a piece of God’s beautiful puzzle – uniquely made, will only fit where I’m designed to be, and will noticeably be missed if I don’t show up. It also means He’s confident that I can achieve any task He’s assigned.♥️

Whenever I wonder why God chose me, I’m reminded that He hand picked and uniquely designed me to fulfill a particular purpose that ONLY I can fulfill. I was chosen. Same with you! YOU are the ONLY one who can fulfill your unique purpose. YOU were chosen!♥️

Whew! I do not know about you, but being chosen does not always feel like an honor. Sometimes it feels like a burden.

Now, I know the word “chosen” sounds all glamorous and only applies to a select few. However, that’s not so. You, my friend, were also chosen. Smile. Whether you believe it or not, or wanted to be or not, you were chosen to fulfill God’s plan.

As I mentioned earlier, we are all pieces of God’s beautiful puzzle and here to fulfill a purpose. Although we see ourselves as one dimensional pieces, we are actually one of a kind, multi–dimensional pieces. Every facet of our lives are either fulfilling a purpose or meeting a need that only we can. We are so uniquely made that when we try to fit into other spaces we never quite fit. It’s because it’s not where we were chosen to be.

That’s all for now! It’s still early so I think I will go back to sleep. Wishing you a fabulous Sunday. Love you!♥️

Shaun

Life

You Are The Gift

Shaun Bradford
Your matter.

Facebook Memory: February 10, 2022

Gifts are nice and ALWAYS appreciated. However, it’s so important to recognize nothing can replace the gift of your presence. Whether physically or virtually, your presence is priceless. You ARE the gift!

Even though we are gifts to others, let’s remember to appreciate our gifts. Those who God placed in our lives to love and support us. They are priceless. Getting emotional as I think about my gifts. We must hold them dearly.

Side note: You will not be everyone’s gift, nor them yours. Learned this a lot over the past few years. I used to consider everyone a gift. They may have been for someone, but they were not for me. Yeah…took me forever to get this through my head. Listen, treasure your true gifts (don’t be fooled by the fake—the ones who pretend to love on you while intentionally draining you) and let the others go.

This is all for now. Didn’t mean to end on a sour note, but we really have to be careful. As I said before, I am learning. Anyhoo… Wishing you a lovely day and beautiful weekend! One of my gifts (my daughter) is coming home to visit! Can’t wait to love on her!!♥️

Be Blessed♥️

Shaun

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Life

Question: What Makes You Smile?

Shaun Bradford

Facebook Memory: February 9, 2023

What makes you smile?🌺

Me: Love. Kindness. Compassion. Happiness. Other smiles. Music. Great food. Good company. My babies (now adults☺️). Life.

Truthfully, God makes me smile. The way He loves me makes me smile. Y’all, I am soooo very blessed.♥️

Shaun

Life

Celebrating 1000 Days!

Shaun Bradford
I did it!!!🎉

Woohoo!!! (confetti and streamers falling) Today marks 1000 consecutive days of posting! Yessss!!! Y’all, I have not missed a single day!

When I started my blog, I had no idea where it would take me or how long I would do it. It was one of those things I thought of in the middle of the night and created. Not much thought went into it. I just felt like writing some place other than my journal, and that’s when It’s Shaun’s World was created. At the time, I was leery about the title. It felt so self–centered. But then I had to remember my blog was actually about my world and that I was inviting readers along for the ride. Those who wanted to ride along could, and those who didn’t, could hop off at any time. Everything isn’t for everyone. Over the years, it has evolved from sharing stories solely about myself and my daily life to a reflection of life along with words of inspiration and encouragement…and a little bit of Godly wisdom—which birthed Shaun’s Daily Inspiration.

Y’all, I am forever fascinated with the way God moves and works. I just love watching Him work. It amazes me how He can turn a simple thought into a masterpiece. Now, I am not calling what I am creating, masterpieces, but they are totally unique to me and I am watching them evolve. If you haven’t noticed yet, I am intrigued by evolution. It just amazes me how things in life evolve. They are forever changing…mostly for the good. Don’t let the negativity and social media fool you. Great things are happening!

Let me not get sidetracked.

It’s Shaun’s World captures my evolution—my loves, hopes, dreams, progressions, setbacks, fears, weaknesses, heartbreaks, disappointments, attempts, creativity, and new heights. It captures everything. So, today, to commemorate my evolution and 1000 days of consistency and dedication, I would like to introduce my latest creation, Shaun’s Daily Inspiration YouTube channel! Shaun’s Daily Inspiration is part of my purpose and calling, and I can see it evolving.

Now, the channel is in the development stage. It was one of those things I woke up in the middle of the night and created. Listen, between 2:30 AM and 4:30 AM is when I am the most creative. I am not quite sure where I want to go with it yet, but I will know, eventually. If you would like to join that journey, please subscribe to Shaun’s Daily Inspiration. It’s where you can get a daily dose of inspiration and encouragement in 30 seconds or less. It’s definitely a work in progress. I am already anxious to see where it will be a year from now. Yes, I’m already excited!

Anyhoo…That’s all I have for you at the moment. Thank you for being a part of my evolution and journey. I appreciate the reads, likes, comments and shares. Thank you soooo much for being part of my world. Okay, now I am hearing Ariel singing, “Part of Your World.” I just love my life. Smile

Enjoy your day. Love you!♥️

Shaun

Life

I Am My Rescue

Shaun Bradford

Facebook Memory: February 8, 2022

Once you realize you’re responsible for your own survival, you begin to move differently.

That’s what I shared two years ago after watching one of Lisa Nichols motivational videos. Everything she said about making a way for herself and her son to live a better life resonated with me. But to be honest, I never looked for someone to rescue me. I always knew I was my rescue. Often, I was so much of a superwoman that I turned away help. Sometimes much needed help. Mostly because I never truly trusted anyone to help without there being a hidden agenda.

From what I witnessed, even from childhood, the only reason people helped was to go back and tell others how they helped you or for you to return the favor. Back then it was my mom needing help, whether with babysitting or financially. I saw how she was treated. Even heard what others said through their children. My mom never asked for help often. She was always very independent and a very hard worker. When my sister and I were babies, she picked cotton during the summers to take care of us (yes, in the 1970s). With that being said, she also graduated high school a year early and immediately went to college, and took me and my sister with her. She refused to leave us behind. She was her own rescue. So, whenever she did ask for help it was because she really needed it. For reference—My mother was a teen mom. Had me at age 15 and my sister at 16.

As an adult, I swore I would never ask for help, and rarely accepted it. Whatever I needed, I learned to get it on my own. One of the hardest things I had to do was ask for help after becoming a single parent. And most of the time it was because I needed a babysitter. I never asked for financial assistance, even when I needed it most. So, that statement did and still does resonate with me. I am my rescue, but now with God’s guidance. I have found there is a huge difference between doing things on my own and doing things with God.

Didn’t intend to write this much. Wishing you a wonderful day!♥️

Shaun

Life

It’s Already Yours

Shaun Bradford
Originally shared on February 7, 2023

Hey you!

Yes, YOU!

What are you stressing about?

You know that opportunity you have been waiting for.

That goal you have been working your hardest to achieve.

That dream you took the leap of faith for.

Baby, it’s already yours!

Love you!♥️

Shaun

Life

Gratitude: What Are You Most Grateful For?

Shaun Bradford
Originally shared on February 7, 2022

I am most grateful to be alive. Grateful that I have another chance to love on my babies; another chance to experience something exciting and new (why am I hearing the Love Boat theme song—smile); another chance to accept or decline opportunities; another chance to make better decisions; another chance to live…to really live.

Of course I am grateful for so much more…including YOU! Thank you for taking the time to drop in and read my posts. I truly appreciate you.♥️

Now, it’s your turn. What are you most grateful for?

Shaun