Month: December 2018

Wrapping Up 2018

Posted on by Ashaki Omikunle

Greetings!

I hope this post finds you well. I cannot believe that we are sitting at the end of 2018. So much has changed, been realized, been released, and so on this year. I learned a lot of lessons this year and am striving to apply those jewels of wisdom into my future.

This year was filled with new life, loss, death, pain, regret. I honestly still am processing a ton of it, but that is the way that you grow from so-called “negative” experiences. So many of us try to fake our way through it, deny how we feel, and refuse to release what truly bothered us, hurt us, and changed us.

There’s a process in progress and though it can be fun, exciting, and more awesome adjectives, it can also cause anxiety, tears, disappointment, and more.  However, what I have learned it that you are entitled to feel how you feel- just don’t remain in that state. Take every obstacle, every setback, every difficulty, every unfavorable situation and flip them on its head. View them as lessons and opportunities for your own growth.

So, do not lament about what 2018 was. Instead, rejoice in what the year taught you, how much you have grown, and how much wiser you have become over this last year. You have so much to look forward to, if only you get into the correct mindstate.

Next year is a 3 year. In numerology, 3 is an action number, a highly creative number, one that represents self-confidence. This number is an indication that next year, we all should focus on working on our passions and making our dreams come true. This next year brings tons of activity, movement, and new starts. So, get ready and stay tuned for more from yours truly!

And remember, you are a co-creator. The world is literally your canvas.

 

 

Peace,

Ashaki

Simply Be

Posted on by Ashaki Omikunle

Greetings fam! I hope this message finds you well and I hope you are not feeling overwhelmed about all of the holiday madness. I wanted to just drop in really quickly to check up on all on you all and speak briefly about a few things.

Can you believe that 2019 is as close as it is? I certainly can’t. When I look and think back on 2018 and how quickly it all went by, I can’t help but to remember my grandma Lillie saying that the older you get the quicker times goes. I remember saying that it wasn’t possible but, I swear it’s the truth.

Maybe it is because we are always so busy doing – working, cleaning, cooking, talking, texting, posting, checking in, running around, supporting, and so on and so forth. Which begs the question, how much time have we spent simply being?

I remember when I was a married twenty-something. I would spend so much time shopping, cooking, decorating, wrapping, and working, and mothering, and wifeing (I know this isn’t a word lol) but, I never stopped to just BE. It left me feeling resentful trying to be Polly Perfect and neglecting myself.

I suppose from the outside looking in my family looked ideal. The smiles on the pictures covered up the dysfunction that lurked. And my heart was simply heavy and my spirit was being dragged. I truly do not know how I survived it all back then. I was driven by this need to create a family that I never had as a child.

Now, I am at a place in my life that I must be and do and think and feel and express myself as I see fit. I have learned the masterful skill of detachment- detachment from people, places, things, ideas, mindsets , habits, and more that are not serving my highest good. And I realize that in my imperfection, I am perfectly perfect.

There are mantras posted by my bed that I read nearly every day. One of them goes as follows:

“I release attachment to all that is not serving my highest good”.  This simple mantra has empowered me to let go of all of the ideas I had of how I should behave as a mother and now ex-wife.

The fallacies we hold about how we should be and act can be damaging, but only if we allow it. We have the power to change the narrative at any time we so choose. So, this is my encouragement to you- if you feel chained in your life, hostage to your “titles, and bound by tradition, choose you over all of it. You deserve to live every day joyfully, no matter how unconventional it may seem to others. Do it for you.

Release.

It is absolutely sweet.

 

Peace,

Ashaki

Red Lips & Fingertips

Posted on by Ashaki Omikunle

When I was a little girl, I was fascinated by red fingernails and red lipstick. I would sneak outside and paint my nails a blazing red color and admire how the red looked against my deep brown skin. I thought it looked pretty but, that notion was quickly shot down by a family member. 

“You too black to wear those colors”, “that makes you look like a clown”, “don’t wear no mess like that again”. Those statements became embedded into my mind and for years, I downplayed my own beauty, refused to wear particular colors, muting myself and admiring others who were bold enough to take chances.

But, I have shifted. My perception of beauty has changed and I am finally healed from the ugly messages that marred my childhood. So, I went to my nail salon and chose a bright red for my manicure. 

I had written previously about my red lipstick and all that it took for me to wear it. Now, here I am rocking red fingertips lol! I have come a very long way. For some people, wearing red lipstick and fingernail polish is not a big idea but, for me it is a revolutionary action. 

This is me standing fully on my own square, feeling the reverberation of my own beauty, power, and strength ripple through my body- free from the demons of the past, free from small mindedness, free from other people’s judgments.

It is not easy to overcome the lies that you have been told as a child, especially from loved ones. You often take what they say as gospel. But, be encouraged that no one can define you except you. You are as good as anyone, as beautiful as anyone, and as capable as anyone else in this world. Find your purpose, find your joy, find your hope, find you and celebrate you as often as possible. 

Live your life on your own terms and live it out loud!

Peace & Light, 

Ashaki