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Tag: midlife

Gatekeepers Have Big EGOs But Little Power When You Are Rooted!

Last year, someone thought they could block my progress and prevent me from achieving one of my goals. They thought they had the power to determine my destiny. Wrong!

I know people have also tried to block your progess because we all have gatekeepers in our lives. We all have people at our jobs, communities, and families who think they can control our destiny and dictate our futures.

That’s why being grounded in who you are is essential! When you know who you are and what you need, you don’t let gatekeepers stop you from pursuing your goals. You find a way to do what you feel called to do!

So how does being grounded in who you are – BEING ROOTED TO RISE – neutralize dream-blocking gatekeepers?

There are many ways, and I have listed the top 5 ways below.

1. Authentic Self-Presentation: Being rooted to rise helps you feel comfortable in your own skin. Remember, gatekeepers thrive on inconsistency and insecurity. But when you are consistent and comfortable in your own skin, you are more creative, resilient, and courageous. You show up as your fully empowered self, anchored in your identity, confident in your talents, and grounded in your integrity.

2. Confidence in Decision-Making: Being rooted to rise gives you confidence to make choices that align with your values and vision. When gatekeepers challenge your path or try to undermine your integrity, your confidence enables you to stand firm in your convictions and be stable in your pursuit.

3. Resilience in the Face of Rejection: Being rooted to rise helps you deal with rejection. It reminds you that rejection does not determine your worth or reflect your competence.  And when you don’t view rejection as a roadblock, you appreciate that rejection is only redirection to something better and greater.

4. Clear Sense of Purpose: Being rooted to rise provides a clear sense of purpose. With a strong sense of purpose, you will have the strength, resilience, and motivation to persist despite the odds.  Remember, gatekeepers have big egos but little internal power. So, when guided by purpose, you will always have the courage and ingenuity to find new routes and create innovative options to achieve your goals.

5. Genuine Connections: Being rooted to rise helps you build genuine connections with mentors, advocates, and allies. Having confidantes and colleagues to support and sponsor you is a powerful strategy to limit the impact of gatekeepers.  Remember, genuine relationships can open doors that gatekeepers can’t close or block.

The bottom line is this: when you are armed with self-knowledge and empowered by your innate wisdom, you can create a life that aligns with your values, needs, and aspirations…..despite the gatekeepers, naysayers, or haters.

REMEMBER: Stay Rooted & Watch Yourself Rise!

Have a great week!

Blessings,

SharRon

Rooted To Rise: A Journey Back To Yourself

Do you realize since birth, you have been gradually “un-rooted” from your true identity?

Instead of being supported into becoming your highest authentic Self, you have been shaped into what people felt you should be or could be. Little by little, you were molded to be more socially acceptable, predictable, and controllable, with little regard for how you were divinely wired to win or destined to live.

“Un-rooting” you wasn’t always malicious or intentional, but it was constant.

Education, religion, traditions, culture, gender norms, and social expectations…. all forced you into cultural boxes and disconnected you from your wisdom, gifts, and truth.

And now, even though you may be successful or accomplished, you still may not be YOU — your whole, undiluted you! You still might feel at odds with your true nature and out of alignment with your soul.

I know that being rooted and getting re-rooted can be difficult. Removing and identifying the habits, beliefs, and patterns blocking you from being “at home with yourself” is a process. But by reconnecting with your intuition, strength, and beauty and honoring your values, feelings, and dreams, you can live more honestly and freely. You can feel firmly anchored in your inner authority and truth, giving you the power to follow your conscience and your calling, not the crowd.

I realize I am NOT telling you something you don’t already know. Even when your mind doesn’t know you are out of sync, your body and soul know you are not aligned. Your inner champion knows when you need a change, a renewal, and a reclamation to root into your own innate wisdom and selfhood.

That’s why in Rooted To Rise: A Journey BackTo Yourself, we provide the safety and support you need to return home to your true Self – a self you left behind to fit into society’s boxes. We give you new tools and deeper insight on re-rooting yourself so you can return to the truth of who you are  AND make decisions that honor the real you, not the curated you.

For decades, I rejected the truth of who I knew I was. However, once I reclaimed and honored the parts of myself that society told me to throw away, I created a life of meaning, peace, and a sense of freedom.  Most importantly, my health improved, and I renewed my spiritual practices, which helped me experience inner peace.

The authentic YOU is waiting for you to RISE and SOAR in every dimension of your life. Are you ready?

We start on Feb. 24, and I hope to see you there!

Blessings!

 

SharRon

What An Ex-Priest Taught Me About Being Honest & Free!

First, thank you so much for reading last week’s newsletter. I am so grateful that it resonated with so many of you. I received many comments acknowledging that what I shared spoke to your heart! I also received copies of journal entries, pictures of vision boards, and soul-enriching poems! Hearing from you made my heart sing and nourished my soul. Thank you!

Today, I want to share a story about one of my clients because he is a courageous cycle-breaker, self-advocate, and visionary like you.

I can’t share his name yet, but he’s an ex-priest. What’s interesting is that he never really wanted to be a priest. Never! As a child, he enjoyed the Catholic Church, the pageantry of rituals, and learning about God. He was also active in the community and the local diocese but never saw himself as part of the clergy.

However, since he was deeply involved in the church, his family thought he should become a priest. Even though he complied with their wishes, he instinctively knew that being a priest was the wrong career decision for him. But he didn’t know how to say no. Also, saying no was difficult because he was conflicted. On the one hand, he loved how the community affirmed and praised him for his decision. On the other hand, the validation and expectations made him feel like a prisoner trapped by the community’s needs.

So, for years, he dedicated his entire life to training for a profession he didn’t enjoy and felt ill-suited for. He went to the seminary, got mentored by older priests, and was ordained. But the closer he got to taking his final vows for the priesthood, the more dread and trapped he felt.

Eventually, his anxiety became too overwhelming, and he realized that going against his intuition was starting to negatively affect his spiritual and physical well-being. And with all the courage he could muster, he told his family he had changed his mind and was leaving the church. And boy, his family was furious about his decision. They questioned his faith, his mental soundness, and his commitment to God. My client’s family also told him that he was an embarrassment to the family and community and that leaving the priesthood was shameful.

Despite not being consistently active in the Catholic Church themselves, his family strongly criticized his decision to leave the priesthood. According to my client, how his family responded was cruel, judgmental, and hypocritical…his words, not mine.

Thankfully, my client left the priesthood and is now restructuring his life. His relationship with his family is still a bit strained, but he’s happy and relieved.  He’s dating, starting a business, and considering starting a support group for ex-clergy members.

I share this story to encourage you to look at your own life to see if you are living authentically and to ensure you are deeply rooted in your selfhood. Because when you are deeply rooted in who you are, you won’t erase parts of your identity or abandon your dreams to fit into roles that rob you of fulfillment. You won’t choose professions you are ill-equipped for, date people you are not compatible with, and allow others to dictate critical life choices. You will stay “near to yourself,” never neglecting or betraying your dreams, intuition, needs, and purpose.

Thankfully, my client was able to reclaim his life, and he continues to journey back home to himself. And if you need to return home to yourself or re-fortify yourself in your truth, please join me for Rooted To Rise: A Journey Back Home to Yourself.

Because when you are at home with your truth and when you reclaim all of who you are, you will live a happier, more honest life. You will have fewer regrets, enjoy more peace, and experience more fulfillment personally and professionally.

I share my client’s story and 4 key insights that may help you on your journey. Click here to listen to the community podcast or YouTube. After you listen, share your thoughts.

I hope to see you in Rooted To Rise: A Journey Back Home To Yourself.

But if you can’t attend, please stay close because I look forward to sharing more stories and tips to help you be who you were uniquely created to be so you can DARE TO SOAR HIGHER in every dimension of your life.

Please reply to this message and let me know your thoughts.

If you missed last week’s blog, please click here. 

Blessings!

SharRon

You Are NOT Out Of Place, But In Position!

If you are reading this message, you are probably a cycle-breaker, leader, visionary, pioneer, or truth-teller.

You are most likely a brave person who intentionally resists the status quo, norms, and conformity.

You probably live life on your own terms, honor your boundaries, have courageous conversations, don’t invest time in shallow relationships, and believe in taking inspired action.

You are not a person who sits on the sidelines either, because you realize that feeling “safe” is something you create inside your heart; it’s an inner feeling.

Does this sound familiar?

I also know that people like you sometimes feel isolated because you don’t fit into conventional places or traditional groups. And that makes sense because you don’t automatically accept what society says or legitimizes. You realize that living an authentic, fulfilling life exists outside of what’s socially accepted and deemed appropriate.

And because you prefer purpose to popularity, people rarely appreciate you or understand how intentional you are about your life. They don’t appreciate that you are discerning, focused, and have a highly developed BS meter. In fact, you are often criticized for going against the grain and prioritizing your values, desires, and perspectives.

Because you don’t let gatekeepers, narratives, and social protocols confine you, you are admired and gossiped about at the same time. That’s right! People simultaneously like you and dislike you because you don’t follow social playbooks, adhere to cultural assumptions, or comply with outdated scripts. You refuse to succumb to delusions of domination or standards of selfhood that require you to cower and curtsy. You reject narratives that expect you to beg for scraps instead of wearing a God-given crown. You know your worth and your worthiness.

If I am describing you, email me and let me know I am speaking to you.

Why?

This year, I am committed to living MORE outside of societal and cultural boxes. And I want to provide the support, topics, and resources you need to live MORE outside of boxes, too.

I want to intentionally laser-focus on growth by helping you challenge old beliefs that keep you stuck in fear, doubt, and indecision.

Why?

Since the pandemic, people have realized that they are living unfulfilling lives, and they want to DARE TO SOAR HIGHER….they want something different, rejuvenating, and wholesome.

So many people want to experience personal and professional success in ways that heal, transform, and elevate their lives.  They don’t want to stay in relationships or organizations that drain their energy or undermine their wellness.

Most big-hearted people want to embrace abundance and expansiveness. They want to live a life of “why not” and “what if” and not “should not.” They want to use their imagination, take risks, and contribute to humanity.

I like to call this courageous mindset being “in position.”

TRUTH: Because you know who you are and what you believe, you are “in position” to create what you desire! YOU are “in position” to start a new career, build a lifestyle-friendly business, regain your health, create a non-profit, challenge injustice, protest for peace, and love again.

And the way to maximize where you are is to honor your unique path. To cherish, cultivate, and optimize what’s already inside you. To do what’s most true for you even if you are still figuring everything out.

For me, being “in position” in 2024 feels like loving myself and others differently. It means offering and lavishing myself and others with the empathy the world withholds and tries to weaponize to control and disrespect those deemed less valuable. It feels like creating safe spaces for self-discovery, connection, and transformation where people can experience miracles and acknowledge the “messy” without judgment or shame. It feels like creating a space where YOU can reclaim parts of yourself so you can see your own beauty, brilliance, and options. A place where you can celebrate your complexity, duality, and multi-dimensionality so you are never reduced to one part of your identity or history.

My definition of being “in position” feels different this year because I realize that people like you – visionaries, leaders, and truth-tellers – often feel out of place in society. But I believe we are in the RIGHT POSITION to be paradigm shifters, soul-connectors, heart-healers, dream-makers, business-builders, and freedom-fighters. We are “in position” to change the ethos of the world and the trajectory of our lives.

I am saying to you with all my heart: You are NOT out of place but IN Position!

To stay in position, here are some questions to consider:

  • What needs to be recentered or prioritized to help you stay in position for your dreams and destiny?
  • What do you hunger for that will feed your soul, so you can help feed the souls of others?
  • How can you give yourself more freedom to be many things and easily take many paths?
  • Where do you feel most at home with yourself, and how can you reside in that special place more consistently?
  • How can you celebrate being courageous without needing to judge others, delegitimize the realities of others, or denounce others?
  • What does being free feel like, and how can you experience more of it in new places?

My friend, YOU ARE WHERE YOU NEED TO BE ME!

You are in position, not out of place. And I am excited to see what the future holds for you in 2024.

I look forward to working and sharing with you in 2024.

If you are on social media, let’s connect.

Blessings!

SharRon

P.S. Remember to download your 2023 Year-End Review Booklet. It will only be available for 2 more weeks.

Success Is A Personal Thing!

Success is such a personal thing. Yes, it’s personal!

Success is what YOU want for your life, and you must CREATE it.

Now, it won’t be easy because sometimes, success requires you to tear down or strategically quit something you spent time, money, and energy making or cultivating.  And leaving something you invested in is hard, even when you know happiness and relief are right around the corner.

Sometimes, success also requires you to analyze and compare incomes with outcomes.  Or demand that you compare inputs to outputs. Or require you to make additions and subtractions. Success, however you define it, requires you to take inventory of your choices and make adjustments to advance.  Whew!

The truth is that creating something new or more satisfying is not easy; it’s a layered process that requires wisdom and a plan. And the plan has to be agile enough to allow pivots, pauses, and changes in perspective because the “success” journey is about self-discovery. You will learn more about your gifts, talents, and intuition with every new step you take toward your dreams.

So….despite the discomfort, when it is time to move, shift, and restructure parts of your life, you must take action. You must take small steps in the direction of your dreams and vision. If not, you will forfeit your ability to express your essence. And most of all, you will delay your own happiness and fulfillment. Yes, YOU!  Remember, you are in charge and responsible for creating the life you want to live.

Just for the record… Everyone will NOT be happy when you make changes to pursue your dream. Some folks will even gossip about you.

But trust me, the people who will have the most to say about your choices never really supported you, anyway. Not really!  Why? People deeply invested in your happiness encourage and support you when you take risks. Also, people who really know you realize when you are not happy or playing small and anticipate you making changes to enrich your life. That’s a fact!

So, as a new month starts and another year comes quickly to a close, look at your life. Evaluate your relationships. Assess your business. Examine your career. Think about how you treat your body, your most important asset.

And, then, change what no longer works for you so you can position yourself for your future.

Change whatever needs to be changed to align your body, mind, and soul so you can:

  • Produce more fruit in your career, business, & purpose.
  • Be more faithful to your goals, values, vision, and health.
  • Have more focus on the things that matter.
  • Love and spend time with friends and REAL supporters.
  • Create a deeply-connected family that provides unconditional acceptance and support.
  • Experience deeper fulfillment in ways that feel nourishing.
  • Stay fluid so you can change when your circumstances or needs change.
  • Deepen your faith so you have a higher and closer relationship to a Higher Power.
  • Strengthen your foundation so you can weather storms and “hold” success without faltering.

Remember, success is personal! It’s not just about achievement, accolades, positions, money, or status. Sometimes, success is about YOUR peace, rest, purpose, and deep-bellied laughter with loved ones.

If creating success on your own terms resonates, join me and other brave souls in 2024 for a few life-enriching, soul-nourishing events.

You’ll not only gain life-transforming strategies and profound insights to craft your own definition of success, but you’ll also leave with an unwavering determination to fulfill your soul’s deepest desires.

Click here to get on my mailing list.

In the meantime, keep making success personal, so you can live a life that makes YOUR heart sing.

Blessings to you!

SharRon

The Dare To Soar Higher Strategist

2 Things That Give You Inner Strength

When you are experiencing challenges in your life, you don’t need pity, you need the TRUTH.

You need the Truth about who you are and whose you are.

You need the Truth about your ability, your capacity, and your tenacity.

You need the Truth about the power of prayer, the power of possibility, and the power of peace.

You need the Truth about who God is, what God can do, and what God says.

You don’t need people to commiserate with you. You need people to celebrate the promises of God with you!!

Believe the TRUTH – as the elders used to say- put your weight on. Lean. Step. Trust. Move.

Then, you need to reflect on your own testimonies because God has already brought you out of some challenging situations. God has already blown your mind with indescribable miracles. God has already made a way out of no way.

So, reclaim your testimonies. You have your references, your own evidence, your own data, and your own experiences.

You have proof of divine providence!

You may have lost some altitude, but you will rise again if you keep moving.

Whatever you are facing is only a temporary test. It’s only a training ground to cultivate growth and resilience.

Yes, it’s tough right now, but don’t give up or give in.

My friend, reclaim the TRUTH and remember your own testimonies.

Reclaim everything that you abandoned to fit into cultures, systems, and environments that squashed your soul!

Remember how you and your ancestors survived and thrived, even in adverse situations.

Don’t forget that you are royalty and that you WILL rise!

Why?

Because the best is yet to come!

Dare To Soar Higher!

Blessings,

SharRon

Success Is Never About Knowing More Stuff; Success Is About Knowing More of SELF

Some people spend their entire lives learning how to follow rules, how to hide their identities, and how to collude with the dominant culture to get ahead in the world.

They learn how to perform, please, and produce for others, but never learn how to pursue their own dreams.

They don’t learn what excites their souls, what ignites their hearts, or what delights their bodies.

They don’t learn how to resist peer pressure, how to reclaim their agency, or how to reposition their goals.

They never learn how to value their own history, how to respect their voice, or how to settle their spirit.

Honestly, some people never learn who they are or how to care for themselves. And so, they follow old templates, policies, and traditions that don’t align with their innate strengths, needs, or gifts.

They copy and comply with the status quo, never creating their own life or charting their own course.

They live decades, never interrogating their inherited beliefs or questioning why they feel so disconnected from themselves.

They live encumbered, weighed down by the expectations of the world, never tasting the sweetness of liberation.

The good news is, you are NOT most people.

You can choose to live differently just by asking yourself the following questions.

Questions…..

  • What do I know about myself – history, identities, and desires?
  • What lights me up?
  • What tickles my fancy?
  • What’s the unadulterated truth about who I am and what I want?
  • What truth do I need to admit to myself?
  • Why don’t I follow my heart or heed my own internal compass?
  • What will nourish my soul?
  • What are my talents and skills?
  • How has culture shaped my understanding of my place in the world?
  • What oppressive beliefs are undermining my ability to step into my full power?
  • How are my childhood beliefs informing my adulthood behavior?

Just a few questions can help alter the trajectory of your life.

What I know for sure is: Life gets easier when YOU accept the truth of who YOU are…the TRUTH Of SELF!

The TRUTH OF SELF is the key that unlocks all the doors of your life.

Do you know the TRUTH Of SELF?

If not, join me and other heart-centered visionaries for a six-month journey to learn more about the most important person in your life…YOU!

I Dare To BE ME is starting soon.

It’s time for you to know how valuable and talented you are so you can live your BEST LIFE!

See you soon!

 

 

The More We Know Community Show: Conversations Cultivating Change

Something magical happens when two Black women discuss the power of purpose.

Why?

We understand that following purpose is not easy in a culture that undervalues who we are.

In a culture that constantly bombards us with messages aimed at undermining our self-worth, self-value, and our sense of dignity, we know it takes courage and tenacity to believe in ourselves.

It takes a steadfast belief in our brilliance, sovereignty, and inner wisdom to defy that status quo and to confront the narrow, demeaning paradigms used to keep us informed, in debt, and in fear.

It takes deep self-trust, faith, optimism, and a community of other powerful women to hold space, to cheer us on, and to share their collective wisdom to break glass ceilings, challenge oppressive cultures, and disconnect from toxic religion.

Sylvia Bartley and I talk about these issues and more because we are committed to helping people, especially Black Women, fulfill their purpose, celebrate their gifts, and create legacies.

Please listen, share your thoughts, share the podcast with your friends, and write a review. We would love your support.

Thank you, Dr. Bartley, for offering such an inspirational gift to the world.

I SEE you, and I honor you.

Click here to listen.

A Few HUGS Can Help You Win!

HUGS will help you win!

When you are trying something new, you need plenty of HUGS!

Even though there is great power and comfort in a warm embrace, I am talking about different types of HUGS.

What are HUGS?

HUGS are essential ingredients for your success.

H.U.G.S. stands for:

H = You must understand your history.
When pursuing a goal or dream, it’s important to review your history because your past always leaves clues about your future. For example, understanding your cultural and social histories provides valuable insight into what shaped your beliefs and behaviors. When you understand your history, you can challenge inherited assumptions, so you can choose between who society wants you to be and who you want to become.

U =  You need to be undergirded.

Undergirding is not a word you hear a lot, but it means “to bolster, brace, strengthen and sustain.” It means possessing and accessing the internal and external infrastructures YOU need to build what you desire in your life. I will share more about the importance of infrastructure on Saturday during Soar 2022. You can register here.

G =  You need to give yourself grace.

When starting something new, you must give yourself the grace to learn and experiment with new skills, abilities, and perspectives. You must allow space for learning, relearning, and unlearning without judging yourself. Remember, everything in life is a big experiment that gives you the outcomes you want OR the lesson you need. So, give yourself grace to experiment so you can gain the wisdom you need.

S = You need support.

Success is always a team sport. Sometimes you need advice, skills, and mentors to assist you. When you identify the types of support you need, you can enlist and invest in the training, people, and resources you need to SOAR.

So, as you are considering your 2022 goals, think about giving yourself lots of H.U.G.S. because hugs have a way of providing the unique leverage, energy, and perspectives you need to:

  1. Ask yourself life-enhancing questions
  2. Awaken your buried gifts
  3. Attuned to your inner knowing
  4. Accept the highs of success without arrogance and the lows of growth without shame
  5. Allow people to help you without judging yourself
  6. Accomplish goals that are meaningful to you

If you’re interested in learning more about the power of hugs, I invite you to join me this Saturday for SOAR 2022.  Click here.

In the comfort of your home, you can gather with other heart-centered, values-driven people to talk about how you can achieve meaningful goals with joy and ease.

 

Hurray For New Beginnings!

It’s benediction time!

When you think of the word benediction, you probably think of religious rituals.

But benedictions are not only for religion; they are also expressions of appreciation and respect delivered at significant endings to signify the beginning of another sacred journey.

Benedictions are holy and cherished because they allow us to acknowledge all the pain and trials we have endured and the triumphs and successes we have enjoyed.

And as we reflect and review all we have experienced, we celebrate and offer praise. We open our hearts and minds with great anticipation, knowing that whatever is being birthed in us and through us will catapult us into a higher dimension of destiny.

A few days ago, I offered a few benedictions in my life. I offered prayers of gratitude and said a few goodbyes over several identities that served the old me. I thanked those identities for helping me navigate some tumultuous times in my life and honored the power, perspective, and promotions that those identities helped me achieve.

I also offered benedictions over a few relationships that had run their course so I could SOAR unencumbered by the weight of performing, proving, and people-pleasing.

I said some farewells to some outdated beliefs that I needed to retire because they no longer offered guidance, truth, or illumination.

I also gave some Holy Ghost sendoffs to some old wounds that kept me triggered, hypervigilant, and constantly agitated so that I could enjoy more peace.

Offering those benedictions was a powerful “spiritual shedding” that commemorated a rebirth, called for spiritual reclamation, and served as a sacred closure.

And now I feel more empowered to dare to soar higher, fortified by a new awareness, a fresh spiritual anointing, and a bolder inner advocate to make my dreams come true.

So this weekend, look at your life and identify what needs a benediction, a sacred closing.

Determine if your career, job, relationship, identity, belief, or faith tradition no longer serves you, and say goodbye for good.

By offering words of thanksgiving and sincere gratitude for what went right, what went wrong, and what didn’t go as planned, you can release the past and walk into your future EMPTY, waiting and willing to be filled and fulfilled with goodness, greatness, and grace.

The good news is, when you offer heartfelt benedictions, they don’t need to be deep or complicated.

You can say something like….Thank you for what you taught me, brought me, and gave me. Or……May the strength of God sustain me as I go forth with the lessons I gained, the wisdom I earned, and the power I reclaimed.

Whatever you say from your heart is enough because benedictions are deeply personal.

A few days ago, after I gave my benedictions, I was inspired to create a workshop to address the power of fresh beginnings.

This workshop, Creating A Path to More Freedom, Fulfillment & Flow with Ease, is definitely for you if you know you need to say goodbye to a few things but need help discerning what needs to be released so you can soar. Click here.

During the workshop, I will share seven key questions that will help you determine what needs a benediction so you can welcome all the life-nourishing opportunities that God has in store just for you!

Click here to register.

Remember, offer a benediction so you can walk through 2022 with great expectations of peace, joy, love, ease, and abundance.

Blessings,

SharRon