You are Moving, Stop trying to Convince Yourself that You Aren't

A Self-Love Bite: 

"Although in the moment it may feel like you aren't moving fast enough, or as though you aren't getting the results you think you should be getting, you are actually moving faster than you think, while producing miracles. It's just not visible to the human eye" 

~ Akua Soadwa

Are you Eating to Live or Survive

“When you say yes to something that you think is beyond your reach, you must still yourself and allow the divine within you to arise so that it can guide you through the journey. The "you" you've always associated yourself with is no longer required for this journey.” ~ Akua Soadwa 

I always thought that potato chips, Sour Patch Kids, Flaming Hots (the crunchy ones), salt and vinegar chips and all things JUNK and CRUNCHY were my saving grace. 

They comforted me when I felt inadequate or fearful. 

They nourished me when I felt empty and alone.

They really made me feel WHOLE again.

Well at least for the 5 minutes it took me to devour them, then, it was business as usual. I felt inadequate again. Fearful again. Empty and alone again. Half-baked.

But I finally did it – I finally chose to do something different.

First it started with a 14-day juice cleanse which showed me how I can go without junk food, but more importantly, it required me to deal with the things that the junk food or “comfort” food had me running away from: feelings of loneliness, fears, inadequacies, fear of having “that” conversation, doubts about my potential, and the list goes on.

During my juice cleanse I couldn’t run anymore. I had to deal with it – head on. It was an amazingly refreshing opportunity and I HIGHLY encourage YOU to do a version of your own. (For guidance, reach out to Peta-Gaye Williams, Wellness Warrior, PetaGayeWilliams@gmail.com; or Pearl Batista at Pearl Wellness Detox Center). 

But I never thought I could do it. I never thought I could do a day let alone 14 days without my comfort foods. 

The old me could not have done it.

Let me repeat that: THE OLD ME COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT.

It required the NEW me to step in and step up. 

I did it.

As a result, I have become extremely interested in maintaining a different diet. A diet that created clarity in my mind, body and spirit – not one that adds to the clutter and confusion of it (which is typically what “comfort” foods do). 

The sole purpose of “comfort” foods is to comfort you, to pad you up (literally) so you can “ignore” what you really need to deal with. But if you are anything like me, that THING always comes back – regardless – until you finally lay it to rest.

So in dealing with the feelings of inadequacy, fear, etc. I realized that my body needs more raw foods to allow me to operate at my highest potential. (By raw I mean, no processed or cooked foods).

I tried convincing myself that this wasn’t the case and I tried to eat some of my comfort foods again. My body was NOT feeling this choice of mine and it certainly let me know!  From feeling creatively blocked, to gas and indigestion “no-thank-you’s” – I realized that I couldn’t fight it anymore.  So for the past 20+ days I have chosen to eat raw four times a week and cooked food 3 times a week until the divine within me guides me otherwise. 

I am feeling more alive and more connected than ever before.  I see opportunities as opportunities rather than as an additional burden – or as more stuff to do. 

However, in order to get here, I had to consciously choose my well-being over my child-like desires and wants for comfort. (Now don’t get me wrong – a lil comfort is OK – hence my 3 days of eating what I choose – within reason). 

The "me" I've always associated myself with was no longer required for my health and well-being journey. I needed an upgrade, so I gave myself one.

ACTION FOR THE WEEK

As we focus on shedding the old and embracing the new this month, I want you to answer four questions:

1. What have you said yes to recently because you saw a major opportunity for yourself, but that you are now doubting? Be still with yourself for 10 minutes (set the timer) and go inward to allow the divine within you to guide you. If doubt emerges, thank it and ask for your higher self to join you again and repeat this exercise for 10 minutes.

2. What dietary responsibilities have you been compromising because of your desires for comfort?

3. How have these choice(s) impacted you? (Be real with yourself). 

4. What is 1 new habit and 1 new action you are going to take to restore the integrity of your health and well-being?

Upgrade yourself and complete this Self-Love Inventory and be open to the extraordinary opportunities coming your way. 

Remember that you are just one conversation and one action away from having everything you want! 

Go forward and have that conversation - take that action!

SCHEDULE YOUR COMPLIMENTARY "I LOVE MY LIFE" BREAKTHROUGH SESSION

Ready to love your life a lil’ more? Or ready to love your life period? Schedule your complimentary session with me and get a breakthrough in productivity and in making time for YOU.  Schedule yourself today! (info@LetsPursueYou.com). 

LET'S PURSUE YOU

At Let's Pursue You we are committed to helping women who are struggling with putting themselves first embrace the power of “HELL NO” so they can create the lives they love. Let’s Pursue You creates spaces that provide people with an opportunity to articulate what “pursuing them” really looks like and we provide clear action plans and accountability to support them with making it happen. If you want to get something done, Let’s Pursue You will support you in making it happen!

Out with the Old | In with the New

How many of you are tired of yo-yoing back and forth between loving the old you and wanting something to shift or change about the old you? 

Well the theme for this month is “Shed the Old You and Embrace the New You!”

Please read on for more information.

…and remember, you are just one conversation and one action away from having everything you want!

LET'S PURSUE YOU'S REFLECTION OF THE WEEK

“To create at my optimal level, I will be called to forgo that which has served me in the past, to fully embrace that which will serve me today.” ~ Akua Soadwa 

It was September 2011. I was doing a regular run/walk around Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York. Although I am a runner, well let me be more specific, a sprinter, I never jogged the entire length of the park (3+ miles) without stopping.  It was always a quick sprint then I would stop. Another quick sprint, then I would stop again. Although I would go the distance and get around the entire park, my endurance was questionable because I ALWAYS and in ALL WAYS stopped when I got to a hill or to a “difficult” part of the route. 

 

So as I approached “the death hill” that I hated running up, I figured I would do what I ALWAYS and in ALL WAYS did – stop. But for some reason, on this particular day I wasn’t intimidated by the hill. For the first time I saw it as an opportunity to challenge myself.  For the first time I realized that what I ALWAYS did was no longer an option – I saw something more interesting – an opportunity to experience the same hill differently. 

 

So I found a great balance between pacing and sprinting and made my way all the way to the top of the hill. I wasn’t as tired as I thought I was going to be. I was more ecstatic that I actually did it!

 

I did it. 

 

However I would not have been able to experience that had I continued to do what I normally did. And as I completed the hill, I thought to myself – I need more of a physical challenge like this in my life right now. Within 48 hours I decided to do my first half marathon – and I trained for it in 6 weeks. Typically people take 10 weeks or longer to train for an intense race like the half-marathon. I did it in 6 weeks.

 

I needed to know that I could experience myself as something other than the way I had already seen myself. I needed to experience myself as extra-ordinary. So I did something extraordinary – signed up for a half-marathon having never run longer than a mile without stopping. And as a result, my creativity was heightened and I gained a newfound appreciation for my physical vessel and for my deep connectedness to spirit, God, people and the world.  

 

But in order for me to get there, I had to get real - REAL with myself.  I had to admit that it was time for something different, even though I didn’t know what it was going to entail. I had to admit that what I did yesterday wasn’t enough in that moment. I had to do a self-inventory. The self-inventory allowed for a new and extra-ordinary opportunity to emerge on a seemingly ordinary day. 

 

ACTION FOR THE WEEK

As we focus on shedding the old and embracing the new this month, I want you to do three things:

If you were to do your own self-inventory right now:

1. What are some relationships, habits, etc. that have served you in your past but no longer serve you today? 

2. What do you need to forgo, but you have been resisting? 

3. What ordinary things have you been tolerating?

Answer these questions and take 1 action in each of these areas to allow for an extra-ordinary opportunity to present itself - then share it with me!

Remember that you are just one conversation and one action away from having everything you want! 

Go forward and have that conversation - take that action!

Thank you!

Akua Soadwa

Let’s Pursue You

www.LetsPursueYou.com 

Schedule A Complimentary “I Love My Life” Breakthrough Session

Ready to all in love with your life a lil’ more? Or ready to love your life period? Schedule your complimentary session with me and get a breakthrough in productivity and in making time for YOU. I will help you create a simple action-plan!

Schedule yourself today by emailing me at info@LetsPursueYou.com or call me at 347-560-1442

Let IT Go Already!

How many of you are tired of yo-yoing back and forth between loving the old you and wanting something to shift or change about the old you?

Well the theme for this month is “Shed the Old You and Embrace the New You!”

As always please provide your feedback and comments to be via email (info@letspursueyou.com) and/or on my Facebook page! 

*************

Reflection for the Week

“To create at my optimal level, I will be called to forgo that which has served me in the past, to fully embrace that which will serve me today.” ~ Akua Soadwa

It was September 2011. I was doing a regular run/walk around Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York. Although I am a runner, well let me be more specific, a sprinter, I never jogged the entire length of the park (3+ miles) without stopping.  It was always a quick sprint then I would stop. Another quick sprint, then I would stop again. Although I would go the distance and get around the entire park, my endurance was questionable because I ALWAYS and in ALL WAYS stopped when I got to a hill or to a “difficult” part of the route.

So as I approached “the death hill” that I hated running up, I figured I would do what I ALWAYS and in ALL WAYS did – stop. But for some reason, on this particular day I wasn’t intimidated by the hill. For the first time I saw it as an opportunity to challenge myself.  For the first time I realized that what I ALWAYS did was no longer an option – I saw something more interesting – an opportunity to experience the same hill differently.

So I found a great balance between pacing and sprinting and made my way all the way to the top of the hill. I wasn’t as tired as I thought I was going to be. I was more ecstatic that I actually did it!

I did it.

However I would not have been able to experience that had I continued to do what I normally did. And as I completed the hill, I thought to myself – I need more of a physical challenge like this in my life right now. Within 48 hours I decided to do my first half marathon – and I trained for it in 6 weeks. Typically people take 10 weeks or longer to train for an intense race like the half-marathon. I did it in 6 weeks.

I needed to know that I could experience myself as something other than the way I had already seen myself. I needed to experience myself as extra-ordinary. So I did something extraordinary – signed up for a half-marathon having never run longer than a mile without stopping. And as a result, my creativity was heightened and I gained a newfound appreciation for my physical vessel and for my deep connectedness to spirit, God, people and the world. 

But in order for me to get there, I had to get real - REAL with myself.  I had to admit that it was time for something different, even though I didn’t know what it was going to entail. I had to admit that what I did yesterday wasn’t enough in that moment. I had to do a self-inventory. The self-inventory allowed for a new and extra-ordinary opportunity to emerge on a seemingly ordinary day.

Get into Action

Time for YOUR Self-Inventory

If you were to do your own self-inventory right now:

1. What are some relationships, habits, etc. that have served you in your past but no longer serve you today?
2. What do you need to forgo, but you have been resisting?
3. What ordinary things have you been tolerating?

Answer these questions and take 1 action in each of these areas to allow for an extra-ordinary opportunity to present itself.

Remember that you are just one conversation and one action away from having everything you want!

:) Akua

**********

About Let’s Pursue You

At Let's Pursue You we are committed to helping women who are struggling with putting themselves first, embrace the power of “HELL NO” so they can create the lives they love.

Let’s Pursue You creates spaces that provide people with an opportunity to articulate what “pursuing them” really looks like and we provide clear action plans and accountability to support them with making it happen.

Schedule A Complimentary “I Love My Life” Breakthrough Session

Tired of not being in love with your life the way you want to? Overwhelmed with life and have limited or no time to do things that you care about? Ready to love your life a lil’ more? Or ready to love your life period? Schedule your complimentary session with me and get a breakthrough in productivity and in making time for YOU.

Schedule yourself today! Schedule a Session!

INTEGRITY: You're Either IN or OUT. So, where are you?

A friend (Ashley Mui) and I decided to take ourselves on in one of the most confronting ways. April 16, 2013 marked day 1 of our 60-day "Integrity Experiment." Read on for more information, send us pictures and join in on the conversation. 

​

Excerpt From Our Blog "Signed, Integrity":



We are SOOOOO out. Trying to get back In.

This is a 60 day experiment. An experiment exploring our lives - all the spaces that are in and out of integrity. For transparency sake, we will begin with our lives (we are cringing just thinking about this). Taking a close look at all the places we are personally out of integrity - home, finances, relationships, family, health & wellness, damn near everything under the sun. But we will also acknowledge all that is working and give thanks to what is in integrity. We are clear that in order to transform the way people relate to integrity, it requires a level of introspection, which is why we puttin’ ourselves on blast. And only then we can see what is happening out there in the world. As we start to hold ourselves accountable, we can then begin to hold other people, spaces, and communities accountable and active in pursuit of the change they wish to see.

​

Our commitment is to call ourselves out, inserting humor, gratitude, and self-love through out this integral process. We are really really really committed to getting back IN, in a way we have never ever experienced before.



Visit our page to find out more and to follow our Shenanigans: http://signedintegrity.tumblr.com/. Click on the "Participate" tab on the page to find out how YOU can join us!

...remember...you are just one conversation and one action away from having everything you want!

Spread More Love Campaign

When you are moved to do something, give yourself the grace to just do it and make it happen. 

Purpose.

The purpose of the Spread More Love Campaign is to elevate the frequency of love on the planet. As we embrace ourselves more, the things that we used to judge people about starts to disappear and we inevitably start to embrace everyone, not only as human beings, but as spiritual beings. This campaign creates opportunities for you to give love in an unconditional way so you can experience yourself as an unconditional lover. 

How it Works.

We will offer a series of themes and opportunities for you to participate in to “spread more love”. They will be hosted in NYC, however we welcome you to coordinate with us to create one in your city! (Email me at: info@LetsPursueYou.com). 

Let’s Get Started. Join the Spread More Love Movement.

May 2013

Background

On April 28, 2013 I was walking down 34^th street in Manhattan, heading towards the F train. I look to my right and see a homeless man sitting on the street with a sign that said something to the effect of “Veteran, please help me eat or give me money”. Something compelled me to stop. I positioned myself right next to him, side-by-side, and I said “Hey, do you want something to eat?”

He looked up at me, and we locked eyes. In that moment I saw something so profound. The fact that he was homeless disappeared and all I saw was a human being. A young man that looked like a scared little boy that just wanted someone to talk to, to play with. He responded.

“Yes, a sausage with mustard and a pepsi please”. I say “OK, I will be right back”.

I head to the food cart and place the order, costing me $5 (all I had was $6). I walk back over and hand him his food and drink. Then I start talking to him. I ask him how long he’s been out here, if he has been looking for work, where he is from and if he has family around. He says he is from Boston, has been on the streets since 2006, couldn’t get a job, and that his mother killed herself in 2007. I listen. I listen as though his story really matters, because it does. We end the conversation and I head to my train transformed, with a new found appreciation for those that occupy our streets with no roof over their heads and no one to talk to, but hundreds passing by them everyday – saying nothing.

So instead of complaining about what the government should be doing to take care of our veterans, or about what others should or should not be doing, I am creating a movement to empower homeless people by offering a meal and a conversation, one person at a time.  

Theme:            “Those Without Walls”. Spreading love to homeless people

Dates:

·      Thursday, May 9^th, 2013 @ 7:15pm – 8:15pm

·      Wednesday, May 15^th, 2013 @ 7:15pm – 8:15pm

·      Wednesday, May 22^nd, 2013 @ 7:15pm – 8:15pm

·      Wednesday, May 29^th, 2013 @ 7:15pm – 8:15pm

How it Works:           

·      Be willing and able to come spend at least $5 on one person to purchase his/her meal

·      Be willing to listen to and speak with a homeless person to get to know them a little more (though we will start in groups, my request is that you have these conversations independently)

·      We will have 1 hour to make a difference with at least 1 person each

·      If you choose to participate, as we get closer to the day, you will be emailed the meet-up location and additional information

Interested in Participating?

If you want to be a part of the mailing list, complete the information form or send questions to: Info@LetsPursueYou.com.

Thank you for considering and/or being a part of the Spread More Love Movement!

Welcome

Welcome to Let's Pursue You's Official Blog!

Here we will explore many aspects of self-love, love and creating the life that we love. I look forward to sharing myself with you and I look forward to hearing from you!

In love,
:) Akua