Where I hope to be 12 months from now
The Stone Cutter and spiritual growth
I have taken to heart the story of the stone cutter that my business mentor shared with us a few weeks ago. The stonecutter keeps on keeping on until the rock splits in two. It doesn't happen overnight. It happens when it happens, but it is the result of patience, discipline, and persistence. The stone cutter has to keep on going despite nothing happening, people giving pointless advice, naysaying, and temptation to give up and do something easier.
Spiritual deliverance and spiritual growth happens on a STONECUTTING level. If we look at day to day progress, it can be pretty discouraging. Nothing seems to be happening, but if we look on a quarterly, yearly, 5 year, or decade basis then we will see we've broken apart many rocks.
Where I was 12 months ago
The Pastor was preaching about making the shift in our faith to a higher level. I was shifting, but shifting slowly. I was engrossed in my Battlefield of the Mind study, fasting from social media, BUT still determined to push through my own agenda.
Allowed the Wrong people to pour into my life/No Boundaries
I was also inviting confusion and negativity in my life by sharing too much with people. This year I have learned that boundaries are important. Yes, we want to connect with people but we do not have to invite everyone into our inner circles.
This year I've learned to set boundaries and not allow everyone to speak into my life. People can be well meaning, but that doesn't mean that they should be advising you. Frankly I have learned my lesson: Unless people are wise and bearing good and healthy fruit in their lives, I'm not trying to take their advice. People like to have company in the pits
I realized what it was that I REALLY wanted in my life/What was REALLY important
Around this time I had started to realize that I didn't want my life to end up like what I was seeing around me. People who had put all of their eggs into their career/money/material basket were now finding those things did not fulfill them or they no longer had those things.
I decided that I did not want to be 50 years old and have nothing of substance in my life or be all alone. So I began to really warm to the idea of marriage/kids. I began to really pray that God would change my attitude. I knew that thinking I wasn't good enough was playing a big role in why things were the way they were and this is what I was working on in the Battlefield of the Mind.
I even got a book called Attached which explained Attachment styles. I learned that I was avoidant towards intimacy and I asked God to change my heart. I've never known anything different so this is going to be quite the stone cutting journey. God is still delivering me little by little.
Humility
In my professional life I was getting lessons in humility. I had a challenging situation at work and I was tired of it. Through that ordeal I realized I was full of pride. I wasn't interested in listening to anybody who I didn't think was as qualified as I was or ON MY LEVEL.
I was hoping to be promoted in the next 6 months to a new position of leadership. It took 8 months, but God was faithful because it was the RIGHT situation. I am so excited what God is going to do where we are. I believe lives are going to be changed and the place will be different because God has a work for me to do there.
Where I hope to be 12 months from now
Stronger in my faith/Biblically Literate
I hope that 12 months from now I am even stronger in my faith. I am currently reading the Bible over the course of this year and I am really learning so much. Joining an online Bible study was very helpful and I hope to do more of them.
A Trusted Spiritual Mastermind/Support Group
One of the things I'm hoping to form in the next year is a mastermind group centered around our belief in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I don't want to be apart of any type of clique group. The group I'm looking to be a part of will be inclusive, welcoming, and focused on getting to new levels of faith. I'm not talking about church cliques or negative groups that sit around and complain about circumstances. I DO NOT LIKE CHURCH CLIQUES AND I WILL NOT JOIN THEM. A group that is really about it will be bearing fruit and people will want to join in because they know they can be a part of something that is transformational.Real Relationships
People have always been a disappointment to me. I guess you could say I believe I have very little use for people. I tend to want to do everything myself because it has been my experience that if I didn't do it, it wouldn't happen.
As an adult, I'm learning I can't do everything and that I will have to allow other people to help me. It wasn't until I got to college that I actually found people who would come through for me and helped me. It's funny when I hang up talking to them or finish talking to them I say "I love you". I hadn't learned to do that before.
So 12 months from now, I hope that I have real relationships in my life. I would be lying if I didn't say that I hope that I will be blessed in the partnership department. I've never had that experience and because long ago I accepted that I was not going to be like everyone else it's been tough.
I get sick of people trying to offer advice, rub my face in the fact that everyone else is getting married, or asking me if something is wrong with me, and my own insecurities beating me up every day.
So I hope that I am able to testify that NO YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE BUT YOU ALSO WON'T HAVE WHAT MOST PEOPLE HAVE. You can have a relationship that makes an IMPACT and serves a higher purpose.
Other
I hope that I will also accomplish some of my other goals such as
- continuing my fitness journey which may involve a competition in the near future
- getting myself together financially: eliminating credit card and student loan debt
- Volunteering more in the community
- Traveling domestically and most importantly internationally
- Moving forward in my career and seeking to grow even more
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