No Playing or Praying Small in 2020 and Beyond!

2020 is going to be an amazing year. I’ve been saying this to everyone because I firmly believe it. I’m confidant in who I am and the blessings God has in store for me. I’m mindful of my thoughts and the power they have to influence my decisions, and I’m not playing small.

For the past few months, I’ve been spending more time in devotion reading the Bible, watching sermons and listening to podcasts. One recurring message through all those activities is that we were created to live to our full potential and our potential requires us to live boldly. That means we need to be specific about what we want and ask for it (and not the bare minimum) when speaking to people and praying to God. We also need to dream bigger. Have you ever thought that maybe you’re just surviving and living paycheck to paycheck (not including the emergency fund in your savings account you may have stacked up over the years) because you’re praying small and safe prayers and not reaching and striving for more in your personal and professional life? God wants us to thrive. Thriving doesn’t merely come from asking God to enlarge our territory (1 Chronicles 4:10) or for wishing for more. It comes by doing the work. That work may be inconvenient and uncomfortable at times, but if we want better and different for ourselves, we have to operate differently.

In 2019, I spent half my year (from January till June) struggling with confidence after the birth of my son, but that will not be my story this year! Depression and imposter syndrome almost got the best of me, but God came through as He always does. I forgot who I was while I was depressed. Negative thoughts about myself permeated my mind and I allowed them to control me, which led to me thinking and playing small at times. I’m not the same person I was in January of 2019. From June to December of 2019 I spent a lot of time in therapy, meditation with God, and did the inner self-work therapist love to talk about! God used 2019 to build a stronger, wiser, smarter and more resilient me. I have grown, my mindset has evolved and I will not tolerate nonsense from myself or anyone who has or wants access to me. 

Over the last few months I took the steps and did the work to become a better version of myself and I want us all to be the best versions of ourselves we can be. We were not created to shrink or play small, so let's not shrink ourselves in 2020 and beyond. We owe it to ourselves and God to strive for greater and thrive!

Dress- Zara | Shoes-Aldo | Glasses- New York and Company

Style, Stillness, and Shaking Things Up

It's been a while since I wrote a post dedicated to style, life updates, etc so here we go! First, I want to say thank you readers for taking the time to read my blog post and visit my little space on the internet. I love sharing style, family moments, and discussing/reflecting on things I have learned while navigating through life as an individual, wife and mother. Speaking of motherhood, my son recently turned one so I will definitely dedicate a blog post to that cause mama has had quite a year! Lastly, unless stated otherwise most photos on this blog are taken by my husband because we're a team so thanks for supporting my endeavor!

From Curacao with Love: Travel Diary Part 2

The colors of Curacao are captivating! We dedicated half a day to walking around and getting lost between the colorful streets of Willemstad while buying snacks and a few souvenirs along the way The capital city is lined with streets and alleyways full of colorful buildings, shops and murals. Take a peek below!

From Curacao with Love: Travel Diary Part 1

Curacao is currently my favorite vacation destination right alongside Trinidad and Tobago. The beaches have some of the clearest water I've ever seen (along with Aruba's beaches). Food, transportation and lodging are affordable and there is always something to do that won't break the bank. 

When I visit islands, I'm usually not pressed to go to the beach every day but Curacao really does have some the most beautiful beaches and I visited the beach during the three full days we spent on the island amongst our other activities. 

What I love most about Curacao, aside from the beaches, is the vibrancy of the Island. The colors of the buildings and overall atmosphere are so cheerful and uplifting! Naturally I styled my looks to complement the vibrancy around me. 

What made this trip so special was that I spent it with my family. It was a Birthday trip for my mom and spending quality time with my mom, brother, husband and son, all at once, was so meaningful to us. My mom was happy to be with her kids at the same time and my brother and son bonded after not seeing each other for months. We all arrived Saturday afternoon so we decided to take it easy; we went grocery shopping, bought dinner and relaxed. We rented a townhouse from Airbnb that had two gorgeous pools as well as access to the ocean! After breakfast, my husband took photos of me and then we headed to the ostrich farm with the family!

26 Trips Around the Sun

Why I took a Six Week Break from Instagram

As far as I know, the purpose of fasting is to grow closer to God. Fasting is a way of submitting your will in exchange for God’s. I decided to fast from Instagram because I was desperate for God to provide a break through in my life and Instagram had become my idol. An idol is anything that absorbs your time and love more than God. While I love God, I realized this year that spend way more time on Instagram than with God. Maybe the reason I’ve been struggling so much this year is because I was not seeking God wholeheartedly. Sure, I would pray, read my Bible and have devotions each day but I didn’t truly want to serve God more than my desires.

My desire to waste time on social media scrolling through Instagram, minding other people’s business was not only pushing me away from God, it was hindering productivity and triggering my depression. The first thing I noticed within my first few hours of abstaining from Instagram was how much I was able to accomplish in a relatively short amount of time. 

At the end of the first week of my fast, I realized that I did not feel depressed at all.  It was literally the first week this year where the signs of depression did not surface in my life. Sure, I was still dealing with some hardships but I didn’t feel like my life was on a downward spiral. There is a quote that states, “comparison is the thief of joy” and my habit of scrolling through Instagram watching other peoples’ lives through their photos and Instastories made me feel like I was not doing enough with my own life.

There are some amazing people I follow and often come across on Instagram who I admire because they are doing great things that inspire me and they appear to be successful. However, I realize that I cannot compare this season of my life to someone else’s success season and highlight reel. I don’t know all they endured to get where they are and I don’t walk in their shoes.

I want to walk on the path that God has set for me and I want to be so in tune with God that I am living my life in accord with His will for my life. God promises that when we live a life of obedience to Him, we will thrive. “The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Photographer-Kofi James

Top-Asos | Jeans-Old Navy | Shoes- Nine West

So it’s been six weeks and my fast is over! There were very specific things I was fasting and praying for during this time and I must say that God truly showed up for me in so many ways. All my prayers have not been answered yet, but I know God will in His perfect timing.

Pre-Father's Day: Making Time to be Present