'Lean in' to your life!

‘LEAN IN’ TO YOUR LIFE

The word ‘lean in’ has been made popular by the recent book written by Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook  I am yet to read the whole book (I look forward to), but from the excerpts I have read from various credible sources like Cosmopolitan and Time Magazine; I get the message she is passing. She is encouraging women not to leave their careers or the work place before it is really time to leave. She wants more women to take charge of their career choices and not see it as a trade-off between family and career.

This got me thinking on various levels and aspects of life. I have begun to question which areas of my life I have unconsciously left unattended to, because I feel there is nothing I can do about it right now or because of current circumstances and prevailing situations.

A lot of us run our life’s on auto pilot, it seems much easier to let the wheel keep rolling the way it is, than to confront the status quo and take charge of the moment. The worst feeling I don’t like to deal with, is helplessness. I always like to know what to do about a situation or challenge and when I can’t find a solution, it keeps me worried until I do, unless I feel God nudging me to surrender and ‘lean in’ to him, and then I find peace.

However, God expects us to take charge or lean in to our lives and not live our circumstances to ‘fate’. Someone said; your future is a blank canvas, create what you want it to be. So let me challenge you and encourage you to lean in to the following areas of your life:

1.      Lean in to your spiritual development: We hear this a lot in our places of worship, but I heard an analogy by TD Jakes recently that was thought provoking; he said it is the muscles that we work on that would develop and grow stronger and eventually serve us. So if we want to be in tune with the future, the fastest way is to develop our spiritual muscles, because it is the Supreme being that knows the future from the now, so if we lean in to God and listen to his ways and his plans, our future is more assured and we can make plans from now into the future. How do you lean in? Make it a priority, set achievable goals like spending 15-30mins every morning or evening in meditation and study.

2.      Lean in to your intellectual development: If you are like me, you are not interested in going to any long duration educational program any time soon, but that does not stop you from learning and developing yourself. These days, there is an overflow of intellectual materials everywhere. You can find it on the internet (That’s why you are reading my blog), in books, from attending conferences or short courses. You lean in to your intellectual development by deciding what area you want to develop and setting plans and goals to achieve it. For me it’s to become a better fashion entrepreneur and retailer and I have been spending days, weeks, months reading up everything I can find on the internet and through books and I have a couple of courses lined up to make my intellectual development dreams a reality.

3.      Physical fitness& Health: I am yet to meet a woman who does not have a challenge with her body image and trust me, as a Fashion entrepreneur, I meet many! Some complain that they have big stomachs, arms, buttocks etc. Some think they are too fat or even too thin. I do my best to encourage them to love themselves and make the best of the bodies that God has given them.

That is a first step, the next step is; what can you do to improve it? Are you doing any form of exercising? My sister’s gym instructor told them the other day, that if you think you are overweight, it is just ‘FAT’ and you can lose it! You might think it’s not so easy abi? Well I feel you, because I am on a weight loss journey myself. But the important thing is to lean in and do something about it. What can you do about your health and fitness? If you can’t register in a gym, find something you can do at home, can you take a walk or jog? Or can you lie on the floor and do some crunches? My brother inspired me recently, when he showed me his personal trainer app on his iphone, because it showed me that you don’t have much excuses anymore with technology. It is a journey really, but do something about your health and fitness, set goals and lean in.

TO BE CONTINUED WITH OTHER AREAS WE NEED TO LEAN IN NEXT WEEK

Stay Empowered,

Tale.

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