|
What’s Stopping You?
By Tonya Ramsey
“When we use our minds, take a step at a time, we
can do, anything, that we wanna do.” ~From The Blue’s Clues Song
Shows like “Blue’s Clues”, “Sesame
Street”, “Go, Diego, Go”,
teach kids that there are limitless possibilities out in the world. Think back to your favorite childhood show, think
about how you felt when you knew that anything was possible, that you could
do anything. When did that type of thinking stop?
What happened in your life that stopped you from
thinking that you can have everything that you dream about?
Is it one single incident that took away our faith, our
hope…our dreams? Or did it happen over a
lifetime? However, it got into our heads, unless
we are living our dreams or living a life leading us to our dreams;
somewhere, some time in your life, you heard someone say, “You
can’t do that!”, and it you believed it.
I was always a different child growing up. I was told from a young age that I was “too
smart for my own good”. I never seemed to
fit in my own peer groups. By high school, my old
soul shined through and I was unable to let loose, to have the care-free
existence that others my age did. I think that as
a teenager it is universal have that desire to
feel that you belong and I felt like the round peg trying to fit into the
square peg.
And as if my teenage angst wasn’t enough as I move
into adulthood, now there was a bigger picture…How do I fit into the
world, not just with the kids at school, or my family, where is my place,
what is my purpose?
Fear gripped me, as I struggled in the real world. I feared failing, so I dropped out of college. I feared being alone, so at nineteen I married a man
that I had nothing in common with. I feared not
having money so I worked overtime, sometimes holding down more than one job. And when the unhappiness that slowly crept up on me
finally enveloped me I was too scared to change.
Fear is the big difference between the pure innocent
thinking of a child and our adult selves. Children
start with no fear and it is only through experience do they learn how and
what to fear. We learn to fear people, we learn to
fear ideas, we learn to fear labels, some even learn to fear themselves. In fact, the message of most children’s shows is
one of fearlessness, encouraging each to be an individual, to use their
creativity, to see the good in people…that all takes strength and
courage, that only children have, before it slips away with adulthood,
before we let fear control us.
Looking back over a lifetime of memories, I spent
several years deep in regret, wondering what would have happened if I would
have turned right instead of left, said no instead of yes, lived a life
that was more worthy of who I am meant to be. “What
would have happened if…” was on the forefront of my mind, so
much that at one point I was stuck on the past, replaying what I thought
were the pivotal moments in my life, those decisions that I wanted a
“do-over” on.
In childhood, you get those unlimited supply of
“do-overs”, as adults we usually feel
powerless over our mistakes, beating ourselves up to the point that we fear
making the wrong decision. At every crossroad that
we come to, we feel the effects of fear coming from a deep well within
ourselves.
We have to release that fear, and allow ourselves to be
set free. We have to let go every “You
can’t to that!” we have every heard from others and from
ourselves. You have to go deep within you and let
your inner child give you the strength that you knew when you where young. Allow the “I can be or do anything”
thinking to flood back into your consciousness. Believe
in yourself, the same way that we teach our children to do.
Learning to be the person that you want to be
doesn’t stop when you enter adulthood, I think that is where most of
us get tripped up. The whole span of our life is
for us to evolve, we are meant to continue to grow, and search for the
answers. It is the journey of life to continue
that healthy curiosity about the world around us and the person that is
within. Each experience in our lives we can look
for a chance to learn; lessons don’t just
happen on “Sesame Street”
or in “Elmo’s World”; they happen everyday of our lives.
One of the greatest gifts that I have received in my
life is my son. He has enriched my life in so many
ways and has helped me rediscover the knowledge that I have forgotten. I see once again through the eyes of hope, innocent,
and resolve to think that anything is possible. He
has helped me find a new way to look at the world around me.
An empowerment dwells inside me now that had been tucked
away for a long time ago. Now, whenever the fear
or the “you can’t do that” thinking comes back, I just
sing softly to myself, “When I
use my minds, take a step at a time, I can do, anything, that I wanna do.”
|
July Events
brought to you by Tonya Ramsey
All times are in
Central Standard Time
Not sure what
that is in your time zone?
Go here to find out!
Click event below to see more details
Mom's Coffee Break
The first and third
Friday of the month
Friday July 6th @ 10am
Friday July 20th @ 10am
Ways to Use e-Books
Wednesday July 18th @ 2pm
Let the Sun Shine In
Presented at WBO's
Christmas in July
Thurs. July 19th @ 11:30am
Taking off the Cape:
Getting
and Staying out
of
the SuperMom Trap
Two part workshop starting Thursday July 24th at 8pm
(get $10 off
the workshop if you register before July 10th)
Back to the Table
Thursday July 26th @ 8pm
Women’s Online
Magazine
Expose Yourself!
It’s On Us!
The editorial team and columnists at the newly launched Women’s Online Magazine for
high-octane women, invite you to widen your marketing reach by taking
advantage of our Free Events and Classified Ad Listing in Women’s
Online Magazine. Fresh content equals high-traffic, so your event
information and advertisement can get maximum exposure.
Join
us at Women’s
Online Magazine and get exposed
today!
Words of Wisdom
# 123 from
Life’s Little
Instruction Book
by H. Jackson
Brown Jr.
“Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly.”
New Blogs
I have spent some time creating two new blogs,
redesigning, and moving my existing blog. Please take some time to visit:
Don’t forget to leave a comment if
you find something you like!
|