MADETOLEAD
from a conference in
Hawaii, I felt this strong
conviction to change my
perspective. I decided to
practice gratitude in a
more intentional way. I
stopped looking at what
I didn’t have and started
thanking God for what
he placed in my hand.
I began to thank God
for the situations that
were causing me to feel
the most pressure. It’s
in the pressure that you
uncover your new level
of strength.
I wish I could tell you
I started practicing
gratitude and everything
in my life became the
fairytale I’ve always
dreamed of. I am
diligently working to be
healthy, but I still face
body issues especial-
ly since my weight
fluctuates greatly. I am
privileged to have great
opportunities in my
career, it just doesn’t
always translate into
the financial stability
that I long for. I am still
more single than a slice
of bread, but I am pretty
proud of the fact that I
am refusing to settle for
less than what I deserve.
One day during the
height of my quarter
life crisis, I was telling
my mother about all the
things she had done by
the time she was my age.
She was married, taking
care of me, learning
English as her second
language, obtaining
her bachelor’s degree,
working and slaying
daily. I didn’t feel like
I was doing enough
and although she never
asked me to—I felt like
I wasn’t measuring up
to my greatest example
of womanhood. Her
response: “Times have
changed. At your age,
I had not attained a
Masters’ degree. I barely
saw cities in Texas and
Oklahoma, but you have
experiences all over
the world. I was trying
to conquer everything
simultaneously because
I didn’t have a choice.
God has given you
options. You my dear
are conquering life in
seasons.”
God will give you want
you need and the things
you want will follow in
his timing. I still believe
in fairytales. I am just
not obsessed with them.
Whether it’s your quar-
ter life, midlife, or whole
life crisis—I want to
leave you with five ways
that your gratitude will
allow you to win in the
midst of it all.
#mademaven
1) Change your per-
spective. No doesn’t
always mean rejection.
Sometimes, no just
means new opportunity
and failure is a blessing
called a lesson learned.
2) Be grateful for the
big things that are often
masked as little. You
were able to wake up
this morning. This is
a victory that you’ve
already won.
3) Appreciate your tribe.
Love them hard. This
can be one person or
five people. Don't be so
worried about acquiring
new relationships that
you haven’t been pres-
ent with the people you
have now.
4) Don’t minimize
what God has placed
in your hand right now.
Comparison is the thief
of joy. We are often so
focused on other peo-
ple’s journey, we can’t
identify the opportuni-
ties that have been laid
on our own path.
5) Be your own cheer-
leader. Stop looking for
someone else to pat you
on the back. Societal
norms will never vali-
date who God has called
you to be.
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