Introduction to Journey to Self

One of the questions I get a lot is when I’m going to write a book, and over the years it has become a dream of mine.  I finally decided that I wanted my first book to be an inspirational book about healing and moving on past the hurt.  But since then, it has been put on my heart that my ultimate goal is to help people… so I have decided to post the information on my blog for free that way healing isn’t limited to those that can purchase my book.  This is not to say that eventually I will not write a book…just not right now.  So if you find this information useful I ask that you share my link and join my site to spread the word.   

The first step in this process is to get a notebook and write on it Journey to Self.  This notebook will be dedicated to your journey of becoming a better you.  This will be the first of many tasks to help bring you to a better place in life. 

Task 1 – The Time is Now… It’s Your Decision

I would like to thank you for visiting my site.  Before beginning a few things must be accomplished.

1.      You must realize there is a problem

2.      You must realize it is time to solve that problem

3.      You must realize you can NOT solve that problem on your own or with the help of friends, family and counseling

4.      You are ready to put forth the effort and time that is required to make the changes that are needed to make you a better person overall

5.      You are willing to release any and everything that stops you from achieving these things. 

Take note before preceding that all requirements begin with YOU! Not your wife, your husband, girlfriend/boyfriend, your child, your mother, your friend or your enemy…it begins with YOU! You have to decide that you are ready to change.  You have to decide that you have been in a rut far too long and that you are ready to take control of your destiny and align it with God’s calling for your life. God’s plan for your life is dependent on the decisions that you make, only he knows your full potential and the only way to reach that potential is by making the right decisions. It’s just that simple.  Ultimately you have the final say in how you react to situations. God can lead you but YOU have to choose to follow him in order to reach where he is taking you.

If you are weak and ready to be strong… CONTINUE

If you had a close relationship with God and somehow lost your way… CONTINUE

If you want to enhance your mind spiritually…CONTINUE

If after reading all the above information you are more offended than intrigued or excited… YOU DEFINITELY NEED TO CONTINUE

Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through CHRIST which strengthened me.

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Natasha Thomas is a person that has a firm belief in Improvement and it is one of her favorite words, because there is always room for improvement, regardless of the subject at hand. The last few years of her life have been a self-growth journey and she is always looking for ways to improve herself as a whole. The Message Behind the Voices is not about her professing to be perfect or a preacher…it’s simply about her travels along her Journey to Self. Writing about things near and dear to her is her way of sowing… She opens herself up, by peeling away the layers one word at a time. She shares her personal experiences in hopes that it can affect others in a positive way. Spread the Word and sign up at  http://TheMessageBehindTheVoices.blogspot.com/

Loving Beyond

Aside from the love of God, one of the most important types of love is self love.  So often people profess a love for themselves, but when put to the test they fail tremendously. In order to have a successful relationship with oneself,  you must learn to love yourself unconditionally and beyond all circumstances.

The term loving yourself beyond, means to love yourself outside of yourself, forming an unbreakable barrier of strength founded in self love.  This love must exist beyond the circumstances in your life. Meaning, you must create a love for yourself strong enough to withstand the pain of disappointment, the anger of regret, the feeling of being overlooked, unappreciated, inadequate, etc.  If you do not learn to love yourself beyond these situations, you are basically giving the enemy an easy attack route.  There are many people in life, that knowingly or unknowingly, seek out weaknesses in others. They will find or create character flaws within a person, to create an opening to gain access to their mind, their heart or both.  Once this is done, they play on your weakness until it begins to consume you, giving them full access and reign over your feelings of self worth.

If you have allowed this to happen to you, it is not too late to correct the situation. Gain control and start the journey to take back over your life today! 

Today my voices are loving…loving all that is me, was me and shall be me. And I ask that you do the same! It is imperative that you LOVE YOURSELF BEYOND! This is one of the most important foundations in building a better you. 

Until Next Time....

The Ugly Truth

When I was young I was a little chubby (maybe a lot chubby).  As I got older, I was always really small; I wanted nothing more than to gain weight. It was all I could think about. I can remember one summer my cousin and I ate sandwiches, ice cream and cookies all summer long trying to put on weight...and nothing seemed to work.  For years all I wanted was to be shaped more like a grown woman and not have breast like a fat boy (in the words of my sister).   I felt inadequate because of my size. As time went on, I began to gain a little weight and lets just say…my cup started to runneth over (LOL, my bra cup that is).  This gave me more confidence and helped me deal with the whole ‘she’s cute for a dark girl’ thing.

My weight has always fluctuated, but over the years I continued to gain weight without really noticing it.  One day I actually looked at myself and my body had completely transformed in front of my eyes without me even noticing it.  Things that were at one time firm, were suddenly... umm, not so firm. For some reason, it was as if I was looking at myself for the first time in a long time and I didn’t like what I saw.  What I once wanted so badly, was the same thing that made me sad.  It was very hard for me once I realized the size I had become. I wondered how long I looked that way, why didn’t anyone tell me and why hadn’t I realized it earlier?  My appearance started having a very negative affect on my attitude, but it still wasn’t enough to motivate me to lose the weight…go figure, right? People would say “If you’re so unhappy with your weight do something about it” or “when your tired of looking like that, you’ll make a change” my favorite was “once you start doing it you’ll feel so much better”!!!  FYI: NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR ANY OF THIS! If you didn’t politely tell me “girl your starting to put on weight you better watch yourself” don’t come after the damage has been done with your bright ideas. Truth is, yes, I was tired of looking the way I did…but I still ate more (because good food makes me happy)! Yes, I was unhappy with my weight but a nice bubble dress or something that started to flare in the midsection would make me look and feel much better than a workout! AND Working out does not make me feel better, it has not become a lifestyle and I don’t miss it! Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest…back to the spirit LOL

Those of you that know me already know about my peculiar eating habits, and they won’t get me very far.  I’m getting older and I decided that it was time that I compensate for my eating habits. The last few years of my life has been a journey about learning who I am, what I love, what I like and what I want. I decided that I was ready for a healthier way of living inside and out. I decided that it was time for the person on the outside to meet the person on the inside and for them both to coincide with my bubbly personality.

I did not decide to lose weight and get in better shape until something within me changed.  It was a motivating force within that energized my entire being and made me strive to be better. So today, the fierce woman inside of me is screaming: Evaluate your life, Decide what makes YOU happy! Decide what self-image YOU want to portray and do it with PRIDE!  There is NO motivational speech, picture of a model or success story that will give you the motivation you need... It starts with YOU!

ONLY YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CONTROL YOUR ACTIONS!

ONLY YOU CAN JUMPSTART YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY!

If you don’t love yourself how you are, work on yourself to achieve how you want to be!

If you are comfortable in the skin you're in, don't let anyone else's opinion alter how Fierce you Feel!

IT STARTS WITH YOU... THE APPROVAL, THE DENIAL, THE BEAUTY!!

Confidence is the Greatest Accessory of All!

Until Next Time…