In my opinion, my friend, Kenya, and I have the best conversations about life. We set goals, hold each other accountable, laugh about life’s crazy way of showing up and solve the world’s problems; sometimes, all in the same conversation.
Last week, she asked me a great question about my expectations for the new year. Most people ask about resolutions. She asked me what I thought was a powerful question, “Shulie, what do you expect out of 2016?” I stopped to think. Put my hand on my heart and said the first thing that came out of my soul…Freedom. The funny thing is I didn’t realize I even felt trapped in any way. Stressed…yes. Trapped…no, not me. As I began to self-reflect, that expectation made sense based on where I am in life right now.
I stuck with my response and began to meditate on it for the next few days. Saying that word (freedom) caused an immediate activation of the universe that resulted in awesome moments of clarity, strategy and upheaval in my mindset and world. As I sat in my car crying at what seemed like chaos, I heard a small still voice that said, “Freedom comes with a price. The reason many never achieve ultimate freedom is because of the work it takes to get there. So, they settle for the appearance of freedom without ever experiencing the true merit of it.” I was stunned and immediately calmed. I heard the question, “Do you really want to be free?” My response was a timid but assured “yes.”
Here is what I’ve learned in the last few days…
- I think the misconception of what it means to be free keeps us stuck.
- Most tend to view and believe freedom is solely being carefree, without responsibility and having this perpetual feeling of euphoria. It makes sense why most people chase the wind, the thrill of adrenaline rushing activity, dive in the bottle and pills or regularly dance the night away. They are looking for something external that can never take the place of what needs to be fixed internally (things like emotional wounds, thoughts, and core beliefs).
- True freedom may entail and/or require time, pain, loneliness, letting go of things and people we love (sometimes temporarily or permanently), work, discipline, silence, stillness, obedience, and self-trust.
- Each person’s journey is unique. There is no set time or script.
- The journey to freedom is an unloading, gutting, a rebooting, or rewiring of sorts.
The end result I expect is ease of being myself with a self-assurance that can’t be shaken by circumstances or opinions. Even as I write this, I actually see that I’ve been free all along. I just needed to activate it.
Enough about me… Now, it’s your turn!
What do you expect out of 2016?
What is your New Year’s Expectation? Earnestly think about this. Place your hand on your heart. Close your eyes or do whatever you do to bypass your mind and listen to your heart and speak with your soul. In accordance with universal laws and truths, I believe we get what we expect…good or bad…positive or negative.
I challenge you to not make a resolution, but instead set an expectation. Our friend Webster defines “resolution” as a firm decision to do or not to do something. (Does that feel a little limiting to you?) There is power in the word expectation which is defined as a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future. I believe expectation will activate as soon as it is birthed in the universe by your words. In turn, your resolutions will be formed or take shape to align you with your expectation(s).
Let’s continue this conversation as I host my first Blab on Monday, December 28th @7p.m. cst. Click this link >>> https://goo.gl/Gb7p2p and follow me @shuliegib to join the conversation.
Signed,
Shulie
Your Speech Coach
#SpeakSuccess
Happy New Year!
