The Sun Goes Down on 2015

This year is almost over. Before moving into 2016, it is important to reflect on who we are now and how our experiences in the last 365 days has shaped us. This self-reflective process helps us to look keenly at our emotional, spiritual, professional, personal, and financial lives and step more confidently into a new year.

There is one experience from 2015 that I want to share that totally changed my life…..

One afternoon a few months ago I found myself in a total moment of imbalance and misalignment. Even though I was supposed to be preparing for a meeting, I knew I could not start the meeting until I got myself in balance and alignment. I was at the intersection of several emotional, spiritual, professional, personal, and financial stressors in my life. I was tired. Yes, bone tired. The type of mental and physical tiredness that leaves you tongue-tied with nothing left to give anyone.

I popped myself in a chair at my conference table, wiped my sweat-drenched brow and heaved a deep sigh. I retreated to the one thing that has always produced peace in my life…Scripture. I had a real War Room experience where I took a seven minute break and started to read scriptures posted in my desk drawer (scriptures are in every drawer). I fervently prayed because the battles I was dealing with needed a different strategy. In that moment, I knew that until I started engaging the battle properly by taking it to HIM, I was not going to get very far even with my best intentions.

Just like that and I mean literally and figuratively, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. I’ve always heard my grandmother say that “He will make things happen in the twinkling of an eye.” I really cannot describe the experience but the issues that were weighing me down were lifted. My view of the issues changed.

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 
1 Corinthians 15:52

I felt light…

I felt free…

I felt inspired…

I felt his presence…

I walked out of my office with a renewed spirit and tenacity. Was everything perfect? Was I perfect? No, but I was reintroduced to a powerful weapon called prayer. I amped up my prayer life and this experience sparked the beginning of my War Room Journal.

My War Room Journal

Looking back on this breakthrough moment has been illuminating. I’ve been on a journey of prayer over the last few months–praying more for my family and others than I have in a long time. It really has transformed my life in very fundamental ways.

As the sun goes down on 2015, it’s important for us to make time for self-reflection, balance, and alignment. Our lives are constantly on the move and sometimes we lose our way in the noise of life. When we are still and in balance and alignment, we can hear God’s voice clearly.

The Takeaway: No matter what obstacles confront us, even in moments of intense doubt, confusion, and uncertainty the one thing I know for sure is that we always end up where HE fully intends for us to be.

Let’s start 2016 with open arms & a clean slate! Make 2016 Amazing.

Best Wishes,

Robin

#UnApologetic

Lately, I’ve been going through a personal metamorphosis. The process hasn’t been easy and has stripped me down to the core and left me standing bare, unafraid, and living my truth. I just got off of the phone with one of my mentors. I was telling her, “I have allowed the picture of who I SHOULD be and what I SHOULD be doing and what my life SHOULD look like to literally blind me to the beautiful reality of what my life really is.” She was quick to tell me that I care too much about the wrong people, things, and stuff. Her words were, “Your primary goal should be to be happy with yourself. When we hang up this phone, I want you to be UNAPOLOGETIC about who you are and just LIVE Robin.”

Sound familiar to anyone?

This conversation really made me THINK! Many of us spend a great deal of our lives apologizing to others for just about everything. Apologizing becomes so second nature until sometimes we don’t even know why we’re apologizing. GEESH!

7 Things to Stop Apologizing For NOW!

1. Being Yourself- No person is worth more or less than any other. Remind yourself. Loving yourself should mean never having to say you’re sorry.

2. What You Look Like- Women are taught to seek forgiveness for physical flaws at a young age. I can’t change my face or my body (plastic surgery is not for me) and I don’t want to want to anymore. I have a few curves and that’s it.

3. Being Career Driven- Although I don’t live to work, I do understand the concept. I love my career. Yes, I said it! I have many friends with the same profession and sometimes we get together and tell stories about “the job.” You worked hard for your career. Stop apologizing.

4. The Mistakes of Your Past-We all have a past. It happened, you did it or participated and that’s okay. The sooner you own it, the sooner you can forgive yourself and move on. Forgive yourself. That's it.

5. Wanting to Find Love- Never say you’re sorry for trying to find it. There is something absolutely cathartic, breathtaking and exhilarating about love that keeps us coming back for more.

6. How You Spend Your Money-It’s yours, you worked for it so spend it the way you desire. If you're Blessed, be a Blessing to others. Finished!

7. Your Interests, Talents, and Aspirations- Your interests, talents, and aspirations are entirely your own. Never feel as if you have to justify something you love, whether it's yoga, dancing, an impressive collection of cars, or knowing everything there is to know about cooking, make-up, and sewing. As the saying goes, just do you.

Takeaway: Apologizing when you've clearly hurt someone else, violated a rule, or done something you know to be wrong is a necessary step in repairing the social fabric that keeps us connected. But saying sorry for things you aren’t responsible for will only invalidate you and reinforce feelings of low self-worth.

Improve your flaws but LOVE YOURSELF. Please don’t apologize for being the wonderful person God created you to be.

Just Live!

One Love,

Robin

Worth The Wait

"When you thought you’d be baking pie & living behind your very own white picket fence, you’ll find yourself doing something so entirely different, you couldn’t have even imagined it a year before. There will be moments when you’ll look around and not even recognize your own life…in a good way.” ~Kate Northrup

Everyone at some point envisions the perfect life, perfect job, the perfect relationship, and a life of happily ever after. All of a sudden your life gets sidetracked, the career goes off course, the perfect mate is actually an illusion of love and you get distracted and lose your way.

Stop! Reality and fantasy never align at the same time. Damn it hurts!

Though it's hard to see at times, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

The Creator uses all of your joy and pain, loss and gains to help you realize that the true meaning of it all isn’t to settle for anything less than you deserve. Be bold enough to hold out for a Happy EVER-Y-THING!

I know the wait for (fill in the blank) is LONG and frustrating. Like you’ll never quite find the place or the person that GETS you but you WILL. I can’t tell you when but I do believe that it WILL come full circle.

When it does arrive you will thank God a million times over for not settling for anything less. I promise you, it will be worth the wait.

One Love,

Robin