Tag: positive energy

Life

Hello Sunday!

Shaun Bradford
Evolve!

Evolve – develop gradually, especially from a simple to a more complex form

Oxford Languages

Evolution is necessary for growth and sustainable success. Times are changing. Mindsets are changing. Technology is forever changing. What once was the best way of doing things 10-20 years ago, no longer works well today.

This is also true with relationships. What once was, no longer is. Meaning, we change, we evolve. Unless you live in a bubble, or are dead set in your beliefs and ways, admit it, you have change. Think about it, there are things you enjoyed years ago that you no longer enjoy today. This is the same with relationships. Most of us love the person we first met. Something drew us to them and things just clicked. However, over time, the relationship became a little more complex. We began to notice our differences in personalities and preferences. Then one of us, if not both, began to change and grow– evolve.

Believe me, evolution can be difficult to accept in relationships especially when you are not growing together. In the end, it is up to us to decide whether or not we accept the other person’s change or resist it. Caution– resistance will cause problems, even result in failed relationships. Honestly, when you think about relationships they are no different than businesses and companies. When businesses and companies do not evolve, they fail. So, if you are in a relationship (any kind of relationship) where someone is evolving, ask yourself if you are willing to accept their evolution or resist it. Just know that resisting it might be the end of your relationship, or the end of what once was.

If you are not evolving, believe me, someone around you is. Face it, evolution is inevitable. You can either accept it or resist it.

Note for those evolving– Evolve! Even if it risks relationships, evolve! You owe it to yourself and God, not to remain the same.

Shaun

Life

Hello Sunday

Shaun Bradford
Blessed

Trust the timing of your life.
Trust your intuition.
Trust your journey.
– Author Unkown

I saw this quote on Facebook this morning. It reminded me of my life and my journey.

Trust the timing of your life…

Around the end of August I was invited to write a chapter in a book anthology. I said yes before I could talk myself out of it. I knew if I thought about it, even for a second, I would have said no. This year I promised myself that when opportunities presented themselves, opportunities that I knew I was capable of but afraid of doing, I would do them. I guess you can say I am finally seizing opportunities. Carpe diem!

Trust your intuition…

If it does not feel right, I am not going to do it. Period! My chapter is about my marriage and divorce. So far I have written several versions of the story. Some are more detailed than others. Right now, I am not sure which one to submit. Although it is my story, it also involves my ex-husband. I do not care how our relationship ended, and this is with any relationship, I refuse to publicly humiliate a person. We all have flaws and issues. Umm… Just thinking… this is probably the reason it took me over four years to get a divorce. I refused to be ugly. Ugh! Okay… enough about this.

Trust your journey…

Going with the flow and allowing God to lead. As we all have seen with 2020, life is so unpredictable. No matter what comes or goes, I must always remember that I am in God’s hands, and He is always in control. Whatever He has planned for my future is meant for my good. I will always be victorious!

Well, that’s all I have. Wishing you a fabulous Sunday! Remember to trust the timing of your life, trust your intuition, and trust your journey. God’s got you!

Be Blessed

Shaun

Life

Smile

Shaun Bradford
Smile.

The birds are awake and chirping.
Today is going to be a wonderful day.
Speak it.
Claim it.
Keep smiling.
Know that God is still in control.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:26 NIV

Be Blessed

Shaun

Life

Hello Sunday!

Shaun Bradford
Sending hugs and love!

Today I am sending out virtual hugs. I love hugs. Well… from the right people. No creepy hugs.

Rest assured, my hugs are not creepy. They are the kind of hugs my grandmothers used to give. They would wrap me in their arms and squeeze me so tightly. As I got older, I realized what that squeeze meant. It meant, let go. Let go of all of craziness around you. Let go, rest your head, and let out a good cry. Let go, I am here for you. Let go, you are appreciated. Let go, you are LOVED!

I am so grateful I hugged my children throughout their childhood. Whenever I need a good hug, they are always here with open arms. My son is notorious for saying, “Come here. You need a hug.”

So, today, I’m sending out virtual hugs to everyone who needs one. Tight squeeze. Let go!

I love y’all. Have a blessed week!

Shaun

Life

Hello Sunday!

Shaun Bradford
Today’s a new day!

Hello.. Hello.. Hello! Today’s a new day!

Have you ever woke up feeling rejuvenated? Like a brand new person? Well, this morning I did. Now, don’t ask me what I was dreaming about because I don’t really remember. All I remember is buying white and gold fabric from some gigantic fabric store, and the fabric was UGLY!! Lol. Anyway, after waking up, the word “new” kept coming to mind. So I referred to the Bible. Several verses with the word “new” appeared, but this one resonated with how I woke up feeling.

Revelation 21:5 (NIV)- He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

For me, this feeling of newness and rejuvenation means that I can start over. I am not confined by yesterday’s thoughts or decisions. Thankfully, every new day comes with a fresh start. Now, it’s up to me to accept the new start or revert back to the same old thing.

Honestly, I am anxious to see what I do. Will I do something new? Will I accept God’s gift? I certainly hope so.

As I said, today’s a new day! Not only for me, but for you, too. What will you chose? Will you accept God’s gift and do something new? If not today, maybe tomorrow. Just remember that every day is a gift and it comes with the same opportunity, the opportunity to start anew.

Enjoy your day!

Shaun

Life

Expect the Unexpected

Shaun Bradford

Last week I wrote, Trusting God’s Plan. Two days ago, Pastor Steven Furtick posted, “This is the year of things we didn’t expect. Don’t underestimate God’s ability to bring something beautiful out of our unmet expectations.” Both are confirmation that letting go and allowing God have total control will yield the best outcome.

Letting go means not thinking about what is to come, or how a certain story will play out. If you are anything like me, you sit and think, “If I do this, this will happen.” And “this will happen” usually leads to 100 different scenarios. Lol.

Story time! I promise to keep it short. Lol

Sunday I wrote about a situation with my neighbor and his dog. Monday morning I decided that I was going to knock on his door and ask him not to tie his dog to my tree. Had the entire scene played out in my mind. Actually, I had several scenes played out. You know, “If I say this, he’ll probably say blah blah blah.” Well, let me tell you how it actually went down. As I was heading to work, he and his wife were walking the dog. The wife had stopped to talk to one of our neighbors and he was talking on the phone. Y’all, everything happened so fast. I flagged him down and got his attention. Afterwards, I explained that my son was taking classes virtually and that I worked from home most days, and how the dog’s barking was interfering with our work. He quickly apologized and returned to his phone conversation, and I went on to work. None of that happened as I thought it would. I wish I could say that it ended there, but it didn’t. All morning I kept replaying the scene over and over in my head. Kept wondering what he thought of me. What his wife thought of me. Did they think I was rude? Was I rude? Couldn’t I have waited to address the issue? I mean, this really bothered me. I kept hearing God say, “Let it go,” but I could not let it go. Thankfully I became engrossed in something I was working on and forgot about the situation. When I got home, I went over and introduced myself (something I should have done before the incident), and I apologized for being so abrupt that morning. They also apologized and said they didn’t know anyone lived in my house. Umm… how could they not know, but… okay. As I walked back home, I noticed that they had removed the leash from my tree. Smiling

I said all of that to say, when I finally gave it to God, He worked it out. Is anyone else hearing, “Turn it over to Jesus, he will work it out. He can. He can. Work it out”? Y’all, I hear songs all day long. Lol.

Anyhoo.. I did not expect that outcome. I expected some kind of pushback that never happened. None of the scenarios that preoccupied my mind that morning, or even the day before, were close to what actually happened. But isn’t that how it usually happens. Nothing ever happens the way we imagine. Which means we really need to concentrate more on being present and less on what will happen next. Y’all, it is sooo freeing to just let go and let God do His thing.

Along with Pastor Furtick’s post was this image that said, “Are you missing what God wants to give you because of what you thought He was going to do?”

Expect the unexpected.

Be Blessed,

Shaun

Life

Six Years

Shaun Bradford

I really do love Facebook memories. I am always surprised by the treasures I find. Here is this morning’s treasure. It is a simple profile picture from 2014, six years ago.

Optimistic

Six years ago I was preparing to take the leap of my life. I had no idea of the challenges I would face, but I knew I could not stay where I was. God had made it clear, I needed to GET OUT. Y’all, I was so scared. I did not know how I would make ends meet without two incomes. Shoot.. I was barely making ends meet then. Boy.. the stories I could tell! But, I won’t. That was six years ago, and it is over now.

TODAY!! Today I am alive, well, and THRIVING!! Never could I have imagined I would be where I am today. EVERY day I give thanks to God. I constantly remind my children about His love, mercy, and grace. I remind them so much that whenever I become discouraged, they remind me. Lol. It is so important that they know just how good God truly is.

Y’all, I dare you to trust Him! I am sooo glad I took that leap.

Shaun- YOU MADE IT, GIRL!!

Life

Trusting God’s Plan

Shaun Bradford

The song, I Understand, by Smokie Norful has been playing over and over in my head since yesterday morning; and this particular verse seems to be stuck on repeat:

One more day, one more step
I’m preparing you for myself
And when you can’t hear my voice
Please trust my plan
I’m the Lord, I see and yes, I understand

The part that mostly stands out– well, for me that is– is “I’m preparing you for myself.” To me, this says it all. Too often we forget that God created us to fulfill His purpose. Y’all, it is not about us. It is all about Him.

Honestly, who knew 2020 was going to be this WILD! I know I didn’t. HA! God definitely has a sense of humor. I was just reminded that I entered 2020 without expectations (Happy New Year! Let Go and Let God). All I can do is smile. Y’all, God has receipts! Lol

Yep… I am trusting His plan.

#BeBlessed

Shaun

Life

Hello Sunday!

Shaun Bradford
Hello Sunday!

Y’all already know what day it is! I have not been blogging much. It is not because I do not have anything to blog about. I am just trying to find a steady rhythm for blogging. Something that is sustainable. Outside of blogging on this site, I also keep a journal, and I am finally beginning to blog again under A Research Diva’s Journey. So yeah, I need to find a rhythm.

Yesterday’s blog, Aimlessly Passing Time, was about losing the passion I used to have for my profession. Y’all, being a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) was life! I mean, all I talked about was assisting people with making healthier lifestyle choices. Over time it became tiresome. Especially when I found myself constantly competing against the newest fad diet, anything Google or Dr. Oz said, or what worked for their best friend’s friend’s friend. Ugh!! Talk about too much!

Then two years ago, things began to change. Honestly, it was before then. Have you ever felt like you were running on a hamster wheel? You know, like the more you ran, or the faster it turned, you never moved? Well, that was how I was beginning to feel. Everything had become too routine. So I decided to go the Public Health route thinking something would rekindle my passion. It did for a while but not as much as I thought it would.

Umm.. Just thinking.. Some of my happiest moments involved nutrition education sessions. Whether I was providing the sessions or training others to do the sessions, I loved the interaction. I thrived off of it! There is something about watching a person’s face light up when they learn something new, or even watching them process the information. I particularly enjoyed educating and interacting with children and young adults. From toddlers to college students, they were all like sponges. They soaked up EVERYTHING and were very inquisitive. Yeah.. that is what I miss.

Anyhoo… I guess my passion is not completely gone. I just need to find ways to continue doing what I love.

Y’all be blessed and enjoy your Sunday!

Shaun

Life

My Facebook Memory: August 11, 2019

Shaun Bradford

Hello! Here is a Facebook memory that I thought I would share. It was written on August 11, 2019, after a year of being in the doctoral program. This past March I decided to take a leave of absence, again (details included in the memory). This time it was the uncertainty of COVID-19 that had me stressed. I just could not focus on school. So I decided to take a year off. As I did last time, I have questioned myself about my reasons for pursuing this degree. Is it something I truly want? Glad I have a few more months to decide. Then we shall see what happens.

Here’s the memory (unedited):

Good Morning! No social media find this morning. I just feel like sharing.

Today’s the last official day of class. It’s been a year that I’ve been in the DrPH program. I’m not sure why I thought it would be easy. I’m still puzzled about that initial phone interview with my advisor. I was just so chipper. Why???🙄 I work at a university. I’ve seem so many students struggle through their doctoral program. Yet, somehow I thought things would be different for me. What was wrong with me?😩

A few days ago I finally really looked at my degree plan. Yeah, I never really reviewed it. I just started taking classes and going with the flow. When I saw how many hours I had left, my heart sank. The thought crossed my mind, “Will I ever have a life?” Y’all, this program is about to consume ALL of my time. I’m not going to lie, so far I haven’t been disciplined at all. I started off really disciplined. Had everything scheduled down to my “Tyler Perry Tuesdays” tweet time. Yeah, one hour to watch and tweet during the show and 1/2 hour afterwards to reply to tweets. I was serious. Then, life happened. It’s amazing how one little thing can shake you and your whole system crumbles.

I began to realize I used social media as a way of coping with the things happening around me. Whenever I wanted to get away, I would log on and mindlessly scroll down my timeline. Social media is a great distractor when you don’t want to deal with reality. At the time, I was going through the divorce. Somehow, in my little mind, I thought it was going to be a piece of cake and it wasn’t. Also, things at work were becoming stressful. It was just a lot. Then, on top of that, I had school. I had to post and respond to discussions every week. Honestly, it was all taking a toll on me. I finally realized I couldn’t take anymore and sat out the spring term.

During my break, I did a lot of soul searching. Was this program for me? Could I fulfill my purpose without the degree? Was my purpose even worth the struggle? Why couldn’t I just let everything go and just enjoy life like everyone else? I mean, I’ve already retired from the military. I’m sort helping my community through my research projects. Why not sit back and enjoy life? Why do I always have to make things harder for myself? Well, because that’s exactly what I do. I love a challenge. Something inside of me, no matter how hard I try to fight it, wants the adventure. So, when my advisor called me before the summer term began, and asked me if I was returning to school, I confidently told him I was going to finish the program.🤦🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️

So, here I am. This time I’m really serious about being more disciplined. I’m trying to narrow down my use of social media to things that will help me along this journey. I’ve discovered that the Twitter accounts I follow on my ResearchDiva site reflect were I’m going (UN in Geneva☺️). I’ve been able to use some of the information I’ve come across for my discussions and assignments. My Mississippi Thriving IG makes me feel like I’m still supporting my community. My blog, It’s Shaun’s World, gives me an outlet for sharing my random thoughts. And this page… y’all make everything worth it. I love logging on and seeing your smiling faces. Y’all keep me grounded.

I know this was long. I needed to get it out. So, if I miss posting a few social media finds, or showing you love, it’s not because I don’t care, I’m just trying to stay focused.

I love y’all!

GodIsWorking

BeBlessed 🙏🏽♥️

Thanks for reading!

Shaun