I've Changed

I've Changed!

"When someone says that "You've changed"... it's usually because you've stopped living your life their way."

Hey Everyone! I pray that all is well and this blog finds each of you in the best physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. 

The above picture sums up this blog. I LOVE it! I guess I have to come from a personal place with this blog to make it more authentic. I think that using my own personal experiences every now and again is what makes MY blog unique. I'm coming from an intimate place...a real place and I hope that through my sharing people will see themselves and find peace. 

Over the past two years...my life has gone through a major transformation. Major. Sometimes I look at myself, my actions, my thought process and even I can't believe THIS is me. It's funny how life has a way of doing that. Life experiences and situations...have a way of either making you or breaking you. In my situation...I was MADE. Into a new creature. In this transformation, I've had people literally tell me, "you've changed" and at first my response was, "no, I'm the same!" I took slight offense to people telling me that I was this different person and all I could see was the same ole' me. 

A few people drifted away from me, new folks floated into my space, some friendships were challenged, some friendships had to end, and some situations were magnified times a trillion. I began to have clarity on a LOT of things. People who I thought would always be in my life...were no longer. People who I never imagined in a million years became closer than ever. Some people opted not to deal with me anymore. Some people put me at a distance. Some people talked about me behind my back. Some cheered me on. Some people found inspiration in the "new me" and expressed it in many forms. Some people had great difficulty accepting me into their lives when I was no longer the person they framed me to be. Some people were able to find commonalities with where they were and where I am and our bonds grew stronger. Some people viewed me as "fake" or not "keeping it real" anymore. Some people simply didn't care one way or the other...because to them, regardless of the changes that were made in my life...to them, I was still Chanel. Either way...I was okay with how the people in my life felt. I accepted the fact that I cannot change people...I am only accountable for myself. I would not be honest if I didn't say that some reactions hurt me but I also would not be honest if I didn't say, I quickly got over it. 

Throughout this whole experience, all I can say to everyone that knows me is that God has a funny sense of humor. He has an amazing way of showing you so many things about YOU that you may not have been aware of before. He has a way to making things come to a halt in your small little world before opening your eyes to the big picture. He has a way of using things in your life to humble you. To shape and mold you and to redirect you. That’s why I've changed. I now see what things are important and what things are not. I think differently. I react differently. I process things from a different perspective. No, I'm not perfect by ANY MEANS but I am under new management. My new life has Christ as the center and that means I can't do just any and everything. I DO feel bad when I say/do certain stuff. I am convicted when I say/do something that isn't right. I DO have a new sense of compassion and empathy for people. I no longer find certain things "fun" and I no longer desire some of the things I used to. Yes, I have changed. I am held accountable for my actions. I have my faults. My short-comings and my issues that I still deal with. But I am a new person. A better person. I still joke, entertain, and live an AMAZING life! I'm happy with who I am. I'm proud of who I am. And when the day ends...I sleep peacefully at night knowing yes I've changed. But...for the better.

Have an amazing day!!!

Chanel-

A Fresh Start...STOP beating yourself up!

A Fresh Start.....STOP beating yourself up!

Happy New Year Everyone! We are in the land of the living to see a brand new year. That in itself is a blessing. I pray 2012 will be an amazing year for each of you! I have a few "BIG Ticket" items on my prayer list for 2012 so only time will tell what this year has for me. I'm excited and thankful...in advance.

With the New Year...this blog WILL speak to someone, "You have a Fresh start...so STOP beating yourself up about it!" Whatever "it" is. Stop being so hard on yourself. If you have lived to see 2012...you were granted a fresh start to correct it, achieve it, repair it, confront it and obtain it! Thank God for fresh starts! Oftentimes, we are our own worst enemy when it comes to tormenting ourselves. We think worse of ourselves than anyone else does. We create an internal environment of mentally beating ourselves to a pulp over situations we cannot go back and change. There are people reading this blog right now that are still dealing with the guilt of situations that occurred months...even years ago! There must come a time when you confront whatever it is....acknowledge any wrong doing and then leave it alone. We are always taught to forgive other people but more importantly...we must learn how to forgive ourselves. You will be amazed just how many people can forgive others before they forgive themselves. It's impossible to move forward if you are weighed down by the guilt of something you said, something you did (or didn't do) or just not making the best decision in a given situation. 

Your life is not ONLY about the destination. It's about the journey. Along this journey we will make mistakes, we may hurt those people that are close to us and we may fall short of our standards for ourselves at times. Perhaps you feel like you haven't done all you should to be where you want to be in life, maybe you find yourself in a situation that you know could be better. Whatever you are dealing with that causes you to beat yourself up...STOP. This is a NEW Year and you've been given a fresh start. Don't let the enemy convince you that it's too late! Too late to apologize, too late to make amends, too late to address an issue, too late to achieve your goals, to pursue your dreams,  to experience the full joy of this precious life we're been granted! It's NOT too late! With each day we are given a new start and a fresh opportunity to get this thing called life right. 

Let today be YOUR day. Free yourself....you've been given a fresh start.

Have an amazing week!

Chanel-