#DontHideYourFly
Often times, people think of life as linear. They imagine life as a perfect timeline, where schooling takes this amount of time, you find you partner at such and such an age, get married, have kids, yadda ya, yadda ya– all milestones reached at preconceived times. All imagined benchmarks that people assume will just magically occur around certain ages.
It’s funny, because as long as you’ve been alive, you’ve been living. . . and if living has taught you anything, it’s that life happens on it’s own terms. Most life-changing events are the ones that happen without your consent, in spite of your plans and regardless of whatever timeline you’ve mapped out for yourself. The only thing for certain in life is that life certainly doesn’t always go according to our plans.
Life moves fast. (Too fast.) You blink and a moment has passed and before you know it, years have gone by and you’re left re-playing memories, wondering how ever did the years slip through your fingers. In spite of this (or maybe to spite this), many aspire to control time by forcing themselves into a perfectly timed life. I urge you instead to aspire to live an imperfectly full and fulfilling life, one that doesn’t measure its worth in time or deadlines reached. A life that is truly fulfilling can be lived in 105 years… or 5. Acknowledge that everyone doesn’t get the same amount of time while here on Earth. The richness of your life depends not on the years but in how you choose to live and love within those years.
I measure time by moments. In fact, after my Daddy’s accident time has become fuzzy to me. I always want to feel like I saw my Daddy yesterday. My last day with him is still fresh in my mind. His smile, his laugh, his voice. I can see him as clearly as if I just walked away from his hug.
It’s said that each moment holds infinity because all we have for certain is the present moment. I look at my life and see areas where I want to grow and evolve and I am not setting a timeline on that growth. I choose to grow, as the wildflowers bloom– freely and without a sense of urgency.
I’m well aware that life is too unpredictable to ever take blessings for granted. God blessed me majorly when he chose my family for me. I seriously could not have asked for better parents. I was always Daddy’s Little Girl and my Mommy, to this day, is my best friend. After Daddy’s accident, my world shattered. It was God who carried me.
It was His strength, not my own, which fought through the devastating pain. Do you know how grateful I am to God? Not only did He bless me with my amazing family, He gave me strength to rise. I am standing because of Him. When you see me, it is His grace which you see. I am nothing without Him. How could I not follow through with the work He has called on me to do? How could I ever place more value in praise from man over honoring His will??
My path is spiritual. My path is not about me. It is not about impressing anyone, living up to societal standards or chasing deadlines. My path is a testament to how great my God is.
I believe while we are here we have soul work to fulfill. Soul work is sort of like your rent while staying here on Earth. Soul work has nothing to do with what you do solely for income, to meet societal expectations or to satisfy your ego. Soul work is the work God calls on you to do. You know what your soul work is because you enjoy doing it. It’s fulfilling and you have a natural calling for it. However, many don’t carry out their soul work because it can be absolutely terrifying before it’s euphoric. Soul work is intimidating because it is deeply personal and it lacks the guarantees traditional work affords you. Soul work calls on us to have complete faith in Him.
We are called to be vessels, to share our natural gifts, to live our truest essence and to be the greatest and happiest versions of ourselves. Living authentically is freedom. Mainstream society won’t tell you this because it disrupts the order but I will– Authentic living is the shortest path to freedom, abundance and true happiness.
When carrying out your soul work, it’s so personal to who you are that there isn’t a one size fits all plan. There are no blueprints or specific sets of directions. For me, I’m following His guidance and though sometimes the path is dark, He lights my way. It can be hard going against the grain, not following the way everyone else is going but, when the good Lord calls me Home, I can say, “It was You who I followed”.
There is no map for executing your soul work. So, yes while you’re trailblazing your path of unchartered territory, it may take you longer than others to see what traditionally has been considered “success” but don’t let that stop you. Make the definition of success personal. Redefine what success means to you. For me, spending precious moments exploring my curiosities, learning, challenging myself, growing and loving my family are all forms of success. Why? because they equal happiness. As long as I’ve been alive, I’ve been living and what better way to live than •happily•.
#DontHideYourFly, to me, means de-conditioning yourself. Stripping away everything that is not a true part of your essence. #DontHideYourFly is about exploring and embracing who you are without fear of criticism. Slowly, but surely, I have shared myself and my creative energies. When I first began sharing a few years ago, I had to force myself to do so. It was years before I shared my writing with anyone besides my Daddy (my #1 fan and the first person I ever wanted to show anything I wrote or created 💙) and my Mommy (who is always super loving, real and blunt and gives me the critical feedback essential to my growth).
For years, I kept my creative energies largely to myself. It’s so personal to reveal yourself. Art is such a deep reflection of who you are. By sharing, you risk being misinterpreted, judged, mocked… and you will be 😊 but, KEEP CREATING! Keep pushing through whatever hinderances you feel so that one day you can get to the point where the possibility of negative reactions don’t bother you as much. See past societal pressures and follow your inner compass in order to share your individual gift. God has blessed you with something that you alone posses. Share it.
#DontHideYourFly is about exploring your spirit and discovering your soul work. What makes you tick? What makes you feel fulfilled? What would you want to do, even on a bad day?
#DontHideYourFly is a journey. According to someone’s timeline maybe I’m not where I should be in this race but, according to my and God’s time… I’m right on time.
💜Noèl
