Still Unfolding with Stacy Hawkins Adams
Inspiring You to Embrace Your Life's Purpose & Possibilities
In the week ahead, make room for some of life’s simplest treasures –
the kind that offer you lasting value (like time spent with friends & loved ones or devoted to your passion or to serving others)
– the kind that bake hope into your soul (like a long hug or beautiful art or stirring music)
– and the kind of things that, in your seasoned years, become the memories that make your heart smile with gratitude and gladness.
You’re worth what it takes to make room for all of this. Be good to you.
This week, be intentional about not only treating others with value, but also with valuing who you are.
Respect what you bring to the table, while respecting others and their gifts, too.
Hold onto the truth that no matter what, you are a ripple who helps create waves.
Make sure your impact is the best kind – waves of difference-making, positivity, resilience, integrity and hope.
Just imagine…
The rewards that would come with pushing past fear,
with setting boundaries that align with our goals or needs,
with trusting that as long as we stay on our path, what’s meant for us will meet
us on destiny’s road.
Below is a snippet of my conversation on this topic with my friends at Virginia
This Morning, Richmond’s only morning TV news show, hosted on WTVR CBS 6.
Like you, we’re still striving for consistency. As we work toward our goals,
we’re reminding ourselves – and all of us – that there can be joy along the journey.
View our full conversation here:
Take some time throughout this day to pay attention to the simple things….
The sound of a bird chirping or a baby laughing;
that funny meme that landed in your text thread
or the brief check-in call from a friend;
The hug from your teenager or toddler,
or email from your mentor;
the wind gently swaying in the trees,
and the taste of your favorite ice cream.
The thoughtful compliment,
the genuine smile,
the words of encouragement arriving at just the time you need them.
Nothing is as random as we may think;
yet even when it feels that way,
we get to say thank you.
Here’s some common wisdom to live by, on your path to purpose, peace and inner joy:
We might enter this world alone, but we don’t live in it, and certaintly can’t love in it, on an island.
To get to your island,
you may have to walk through my forest
or cross her river
or climb his hill.
So keeping my forest fire-free,
and her river waters clean,
and his hill easy to navigate
helps you safely reach your island – and enjoy the journey there all the more.
We are connected, and we must remember that.
Today, choose a few things to check off your list that you’ve been delaying.
Open that stack of mail. You’ll feel better by simply reducing the pile.
Send a text to say hello, I miss you or I wish you well.
Better yet, make time for a 10-minute phone call and put a smile on two faces – yours and the recipient’s.
Push past comfort and make a move that stretches you.
Whether it’s writing a first chapter, speaking up in a meeting or trying something else new, just do it. You’ll see – Instead of breaking, you’ll grow.
Tell yourself “I love you” and really mean it. If necessary, keep practicing this exercise until it’s your truth.
Because whatever is swirling in the world around us, love is always the best and wisest foundation from which to launch and where to land.
Make this week special
by intentionally spotting rainbows in life’s clouds;
listening more than you speak;
caring more and judging less;
and being open to learning from those you lead.
You’ll find yourself growing over these next few days, and your purpose and personal goals will prosper.
Every single action yields a reaction.
Your words of gossip assault your own integrity.
Your tendency to judge others leads to more judgment of you.
Feelings of hatred toward those who differ from you firmly lodge seeds of hate in the spaces of your life that should be filled with positivity and love.
An act of violence against one assaults all humanity.
And it can’t be said enough: Beyond our uniquely different outer layers, at the core of who we are, we are all the same – seekers of love, community, peace and contentment.
Together we all rise; divided we can’t help but sputter along.
Here’s your choice in these matters of daily life:
Who will you be? Where will you stand?
What tiny shift can you make to render a seismic difference in the people, community and world around you?
Trying is better than the alternative. Our children are watching us to learn who they should become. What lesson is your life teaching?
In an email chat with a friend a few years ago, we traded stories about people we cared for who were desperately ill, and discussed how watching them suffer made us value life all the more. That conversation, and the truths we shared, linger with me.
So today, I challenge you to consider all you value and cherish it all the more.
Give thanks for your health, your skills and talents, your relationships and the opportunities you’ve been given, and treat them as the gifts they are.
Instead of fretting over what you don’t have, appreciate all that you do.
Rather than playing it safe and never pushing past your comfort zone, take a chance; do something new; allow your world to expand.
Choose to feel frustration then release it, so you can use that energy to find new reasons to smile.
It’s all up to you.
You only get to experience this day, this week and this life, just once. Make the most of it and enjoy as much of the journey as you can.
Still Unfolding with Stacy Hawkins Adams 