Author: SharRon Jamison

Something or someone will always try to catch you, confine you, and control you. The more you live your truth and pull away from society’s claws, the more you will be pulled, pressured, and punished to conform.

Despite your resolve to forge ahead and resist the gravitational pull of conformity, sometimes you will get stuck or trapped. Though not physically trapped, the emotional bullying, spiritual bypassing, and the mental gaslighting will create formidable barriers that are sometimes hard to overcome. And even when you try to overcome the forces that try to squash you, it’s hard to fight back.

The truth is…it takes true grit to amplify your voice, listen to your inner wisdom, walk with hope, think your own thoughts, and honor your heart. It takes incredible perseverance to forge ahead when everything around you tries to keep you sidelined, silenced, and shamed into staying in places that don’t celebrate or affirm who YOU KNOW YOU are.

But here’s the truth: Despite the opposition, you must work hard to free yourself from the status quo, and getting free won’t be easy.

Why?

There are many people invested in your subjugation, subordination, and stagnation. Remember, the status quo thrives when you are predictable, not purposeful. The status quo succeeds when you blindly comply, not boldly and bravely critique its right to exist. The status quo prevails until it’s disrupted and destroyed AND exposed and eradicated.

My friend, despite the cost, resist the status quo and get free! And know that getting free – self-liberation – will cost you something and maybe someone. Freedom isn’t and has NEVER been free; you will pay a price for freeing yourself from systems, structures, beliefs, ideologies, old wounds, and addictions.

So, how do you get free?

• You must recognize and celebrate how amazing you are; you are human and divine.
• You must understand, accept, and honor how incredibly talented you are; you are a one-of-kind creation with a combination of one-of-a-kind skills.
• You must acknowledge that you have a divine calling, a sacred contract, or a spiritual assignment; you have a purpose that only you can fulfill.
• You must believe that your birth was not happenstance; you were created to do something, be something, help something, say something, correct something, create something, untangle something, and contribute something to the world. You were born on purpose AND for a purpose; God had something special in mind when God created you.

When you can SEE yourself fully, appreciate your gifts humbly, and honor yourself deeply, you will take action that supports and aligns with your very essence. You will change, grow up, and grow into who you were created to be. Most of all, you will become invincible; nothing and no one will be able to stop you from answering your divine call.

The world needs your magic, medicine, mind, and message and you MUST do what you were created to do! You must not get trapped in the web the society wove for you.

Please hear me today: the status quo is NOT your place; it’s not worthy of you.

Leave so you can fully live!

And SOAR Higher than you have ever soared before.

Blessings!

*** I share more about the tyranny of the status quo in Deciding To Soar 2. You can get it here.

So often we downgrade our skills and we belittle our potential because we perceive others as having greater authority or seniority than we have.

Just for the record: Title and Time have nothing to do with TALENT!

Don’t minimize what you bring to the table because you are not the boss, owner, or because you are new.

Every great leader knows the value of “rookie” wisdom. Sometimes the people who have not been developed or inculcated in a system are usually the first to see pitfalls, potential, and possibilities.

Share what you know. You have a different perspective that is valuable and refreshing. You will see some advantages that others may overlook and/or minimize because you are looking through fresh eyes.

Bottom line: When it comes to success, new thoughts and ideas are always needed. Without new insight, antiquated routines will ruin you, bad habits will hurt you, and ” we have always done it this way” familiarity will prove fatal to your development and refinement.

You KNOW enough to contribute. Don’t sell yourself short!

Let’s Dare to Soar Higher!

P.S.  Be sure to sign up for the newsletter. Click here.

I am pretty blessed. I have a few friends that have weathered depression, divorce, disease, and displacement with me. I have friends who have celebrated graduations, successes, achievements, and breakthroughs with me. I am blessed with friends who loved me enough to provide constructive critique, invest in businesses, connect me with resources, and tell me that I look a hot mess in clothes that didn’t compliment me or my body.

I am blessed. But when I reflected on what makes us stick together, I realized that we consistently say one thing to each other– “I know you can do it, but what’s your plan”.

It’s just ONE sentence, but the statement conveys the deep respect that we have for each other and for each other’s talents. We believe in each other. We trust each other’s opinions, expertise, experience, and ability to follow-through. Most of all, we hold each other accountable, and as a result; we help each other.

We share our experiences, we share our money, we share our knowledge, and we share our connections. We share because we are vulnerable; we admit what we don’t know, and we are always open to receive from each other. We all have vastly different personalities, and we are in different industries, but we freely capitalize off of each other’s distinct perspective of the world. And our unique perspectives have helped all of us grow personally and professionally because our collective intelligence is hard to match. Our shared knowledge provides great exposure and insight that we would never have alone.

This is what I know for sure. My true friends are not only my cheerleaders; they are in the game with me. They are blocking, passing, shooting, and coaching me so that I can win the game. They love me enough to make sure that I do everything possible to do and to be everything that I proclaim that I want to do to and to be.

They see my tears, but then also offer me templates. They see me cry, but they will also hand me a calculator. They will affirm me, but also want to understand my assets. They will let me share, but they will request a spreadsheet. They will listen to my vision, but also ask me about demographics, timelines, funding, and ROI. They are in it to win it with me because they believe in me, they see me, they respect me, and they love me.

They don’t exist on the sidelines of my dreams; they are participants, teammates, prayer warriors, funding sources, collaborators, investors, motivators, teachers, counselors, experts, and reputation builders. Yes, they are hard on me, but I am equally hard on them because I love them.

Who do you have in your life that provides encouragement AND expertise, reason AND resources, constructive criticism AND connections, relief AND results, goods AND goals, friendship AND feedback? Who is in your life that loves you enough to want to see/hear/help with your life plan?

You have to know to grow ,

Excerpt from my book ” I Have Learned A Few Things.”

** You can purchase the book on my website or whatever books are sold.

I hope you are well.  I wanted to check on you because some of the events of last week were horrifying and frightening.

Along with the rest of the world, we were stunned to watch an angry insurrectionist mob violently storm the United States Capitol building in Washington, DC. We were shocked as we watched people push through barriers, break windows, assault Capitol police officers, invade the building, create terror, and, unfortunately, cause at least five deaths.

Since last week, I have not slept well because my nervous system is still on overdrive from having been assaulted by the haunting images of violence, vitriol, and deadly entitlement.

For me, as a Black woman, the scene triggered deep emotions of fear and disgust because it represented the same kind of frenzied, racist mob energy that terrorized many of our ancestors. It dredged up images of a shameful past that included the lynchings of thousands of Black people and the burning down of scores of Black churches, homes, and businesses during the Jim Crow years of White Rage in the South. The mob that invaded the capitol building channeled the same terrifying energy that has brutalized, raped, and murdered countless Black women, children, and men. It was a revival of a destructive ugliness from our history that continues to destroy lives and livelihoods today.

So much was lost: Lives; Faith; A Sense of Safety; International Respect. 

None of us can predict the future, but what I do know is that our country will never be the same.

I also know that we are not powerless: we can affect change. The work will be hard; it will be challenging for all of us. But without doing the soul-searching work, we can’t shift or evolve into a more equitable nation or embody the principles of the American Constitution.

To effectively do the work to rebuild our county, we must:

• Get curious and engage in honest conversations about power, privilege, and race and critically assess how all three create barriers for some and advantages for others.
• Question our cultural assumptions and inspect our points-of-view to see how our history continues to affect and infect our future. We must check our own blind spots and biases that cloud our views of others.
• Learn to discern truths from falsehoods and properly verify accurate information so that we do not buckle under peer pressure and blindly follow groupthink or get swept along by inflammatory views.
• Openly listen to people who have different perspectives, different histories, different memories, and different access to the American dream so we can see what’s missing or what’s distorted.
• Consistently find ways to build bridges with people we don’t agree with AND learn how to disagree without disconnecting and dehumanizing.
• Invite and incorporate compassion, empathy, and psychological security into our conversations and reform our national culture that too often demonizes victims of oppression and shames them into silence.

Rebuilding our collective trust will require deep discovery and honest dialogue. It will demand that we explore the issues of racism, colorism, and colonialism so we can see patterns and pitfalls in systems that dehumanize and devalue people. Reforming our conversations and re-humanizing our culture will demand that we dismantle and re-construct how we perceive others and how we see ourselves.

If we fail to undertake this change journey, we risk replicating oppressive systems, supporting unjust laws, telling untruths, parroting lies, and perpetuating toxic thinking that will keep us marginalized and divided. And constant division will prevent us from having what we all need to thrive and to feel safe…. peace.

If you believe that undertaking this change journey can help you understand and heal our nation’s soul AND help you become a better parent, partner, leader, and business owner, I want to invite you to two unique opportunities.

• “I Dare To Be Me” is a 6-month high-touch mastermind community where you can unpack your social conditioning and critically evaluate some of the messages you learned as a child.   Sometimes we replicate oppressive systems and internalize hurtful messages that rob us of our ability to make decisions that honor our hearts and honor the hearts of others. But when we learn our history and understand its impact on our lives, we can make personal changes that result in meaningful cultural shifts. Click here for more details.
• Deciding To Soar 2 Book Club – is a year-long book club that gives you an opportunity to discuss and examine your life experiences. In a safe place, you will have an opportunity to talk about systemic issues and personal views that affect your life. Most importantly, you will have a chance to practice skills and create strategies to help you live a life that totally aligns with who you are and who you desire to be. Click here to learn more.

I hope you will consider joining one of the programs. We would love to add your voice and unique perspectives to the discussions.

My friend, last week, was scary. It was a frightening reminder of what happens when people hold on to outdated beliefs and paradigms that fail to honor all diversity, mutual dignity, integrity, and the collective good.

Although emotionally shaken, I am committed, like you are, to doing my part to heal the racial divide so that my grandchildren and great-grandchildren can live peacefully with your grandchildren and great-grandchildren in the years to come.

Please continue to take care of yourself because the next few weeks will be emotionally and politically challenging. Also, please stay connected to a community or join me in one of my programs or sister circles. During these times of unrest and uncertainty, nobody needs to be alone. Let’s connect.

My deepest belief is that breakdowns precede breakthroughs. We will get through this…TOGETHER!

I am thinking of you.

You can click here to learn how I can support you.

Blessings!

SharRon

Are you showing and sharing the TRUTH?

Even if your journey is hard, people who are willing to invest in themselves will join you. They will pull up their sleeves, pick up their pens, take off their pumps, remove their jackets, overcome their personal biases, and adjust their schedules to join you.

But you must show the TRUTH of your journey – the good, bad, and the ugly. If not, you will not inspire people to journey with you AND stay on the journey until completion.

If you don’t show the truth, you will unconsciously encourage them to take advantage of you, to manipulate the system, to steal from others, and to find shortcuts.

Let people see what it takes. Don’t give them a false perception of your reality. Let them see the tears, the tribulations, the triumphs, and the transitions required to pursue purpose. Let them hear your woes, see your wounds, and also experience your wins.

Let them feel the heat of your height so that they can prepare for their own elevation. If not, they will not be prepared for the struggle, sacrifice, and shuffling the journey requires.

Show it! Show enough to inspire those we are really ready for the journey. The exposure will let them see what it takes to SOAR!

If you are interested in traveling on a life-affirming journey, I have programs to support you. I also have a wonderful book club you can join called Deciding To Soar. Click here for more details. 

Blessings!

Can you believe that this is the last Sunday of 2020?

So much happened in 2020, I almost lost track of time.

As the year ends, I have one last question: Do you ever look at your childhood pictures?

A few years ago, I saw a picture of me when I was 7. I looked deeply at the picture and it made me wonder…

• What did this little girl want?
• How did this little girl have fun?
• What did this little girl believe about her potential and purpose?
• What did this little girl hope for her life?
• When did this little girl stop dreaming big?
• What made this little girl feel loved, seen, and heard?
• What did this little girl endure?

I still don’t know all the answers,  but this morning I am asking myself those questions again because my little girl has wisdom that the adult me needs.

The adult ME needs to look beyond my conditioning – both bad and good- to see what the little girl wanted and needed so that I CAN give it to her.

What did your little girl or little boy need?

How can you give it to them in 2021 so you can experience joy, fulfillment, and peace?

On this last Sunday of 2020, I hope you have time to reflect on your life so you can make 2021 a year that most aligns with who you are, what you desire, and what you feel called to do.

I hope you have a moment to reflect on how difficult, daunting, and divisive 2020 was and make plans for more ease, deeper connections, and more consistent self-care in 2021.

And, if you want to go on a reflective and transformative journey with me and other like-minded people, you can also join the Deciding to Soar Bookclub. Together we can look deeply at our lives and delve into our hearts to make the right choices, not just the easy choices.

Most of all, you don’t have to go on the journey alone!

I have provided information on a few of the topics we will address in the book club. Click here to join.

Happy Kwanza (if you celebrate)!

I wish you a blessed, abundant New Year!

Thank you so much for letting me share my thoughts with you during 2020.

Blessings, and let’s continue to Soar Higher in 2021!

SharRon

I reckon.

I reckon is a phrase that my elders used a lot. It was a phrase that did not mean “yes” or “no.”

When someone said I “reckon,” it meant that they were thinking. Questioning. Considering. Pondering. Reflecting.

During these last two weeks of December, maybe it’s time for us to reckon, too.

Maybe it’s time for us to reckon and consider what we believe about our jobs, what we believe about our marriages, what we believe about our abilities, what we believe about our purpose, and what we believe about ourselves.

Maybe it’s time for us to reckon so we can create a world that’s more equitable, more peaceful, more loving, and more humane.

The truth is, COVID-19 has changed all of our lives. Now it is time to pull back the curtain and really identify what we learned and what we want to do differently in the years to come.

As you reckoning, take a few minutes to listen to this message. These 7 questions will help you with your reckoning process so you can make 2021 a powerful year.

Also, don’t forget to purchase Deciding To Soar 2. The book is filled with wisdom to help you refine your goals and activate your courage. Click here.

Happy New Year!

If you have heard me speak this year, you have probably heard me say that “everything is created, cared for, and cultivated on “ships.” EVERYTHING!