Elevate Your Spirit; Then All Else Will Fall into Place

Happiness is a state of mind. Many people think you achieve it by getting everything you want, whether it’s people or things. I was in that number years ago until I had a few rude awakenings. Now I understand that the key to happiness is to elevate your spirit. Let me take you back to the 90’s & early 2000’s…

Back in the Day

Back when I was young & dumb, I don’t think I was ever really content. I was a perfectionist (& I still am to a certain extent). Everything had to be just right. I had to have the best grades, act the right way, & fit into all of the correct categories. I had to be one who had it all together. I thought that was what was going to make me happy. Temporarily it did…I was just happy for the moment, but I never was satisfied. 

     I would push myself constantly to go harder. If I got an A on something, I needed the highest average that was closest to 100. If I wasn’t getting accolades in school or at home, I pushed myself to do more. If I was part of one group, I had to join another too. At the end of 9th grade, I remember seeing the seniors having a list of their activities next to their pictures in the yearbook. I was determined to make my list long AF. I accomplished it, but I also reinforced my need to be perfect & started a trend of being stressed to the max.

     When I got to college, my world changed. I went from 1 amongst 1000 to 1 of 25,000. I got lost in the sauce. I was too shy to join groups & too prideful to ask for help once I figured out I had no clue how to study. My grades & social life suffered, & I was far from pleased with my lack of progress. Instead of trying to dig myself out of the hole after the first semester, I continued to allow myself to tank. The only things I was happy with were my love & social lives, so I ignored the other parts to continue to appear happy.

     When I finally graduated from college, I was a paper chaser. Whether it was making my own money or some guy filling my pockets, I was all about the almighty dollar. I was never satisfied, no matter how much money was in the bank. I was the definition of BMF when I went to Florida for 9 months to do insurance claims after Hurricane Katrina. I blew so much money in the malls that there was literally nothing else I wanted to buy there. I showered the people around me with gifts. Even with all of that, I wasn’t satisfied. 

A Slap of Reality

I hit rock bottom a few times in all aspects of my life. The money came & went. My friendships changed. I only attracted ain’t 💩 guys. There was not much I cared about; neither person, place, or thing. I wallowed in being subpar. Then I saw the light: a Higher Power. 

     When I started going back to church, I embraced a new, fresh relationship with someone who gave me optimism. The more I learned something from the weekly sermons, the better I felt. A major part of me disconnecting from religion in the past was me feeling like I couldn’t relate to anything that was being said. The Bible wasn’t written in English I could easily understand. I didn’t feel like any of my life experiences were connected to God. Then, my eyes opened & I saw the light.

     When I reflect back on my life, there was definitely something greater than myself that saved me. I’ve heard bullets whiz past my head in club parking lots & not gotten hit. I’ve been in the path of a shootout & not gotten hit. I’ve had numerous times I had no idea how I was going to eat or pay bills but got blessed. I’ve missed going to jail for stupid stuff plenty of days. I drank & drugged myself cross-eyed & driven home untouched. It was nothing but God!

My New Sight

The last 10 years have allowed me the privilege of truly experiencing happiness. Once I established a firm relationship with God & started wanting to know more, I started putting my priorities in a different order. I stay on my grind, but with a different purpose: generational wealth. I want my kids & generations afterward to experience as much as & more than I have, whether it’s by vacationing, restaurants, or learning to save money. Where I thought having a decent looking bank account was “the life,” now I’m good as long as these bills are paid, I can reward myself weekly by either going to the nail or hair salon or eating out, & can vacation no less than quarterly. Money doesn’t make me happy; it makes me less stressed.

     Strengthening that relationship with God gave me more of a positive outlook on life. I’m quicker to see the bright side of things than the bad parts. I can talk to Him about anything at anytime & any place just to get things off my chest. I’m more confident things will work out the way they’re supposed to now, & there’s not much I can do about it. And I know no matter how perfect I try to be, I’ll never accomplish perfection so there’s no need to try. 

     Having a healthy spirit gives you good vibes. That dark cloud floating over your head can turn into a ray of sunshine with a little effort. Believing in something greater than yourself gives you hope to hang on to. And that connection can be formed in so many different ways. Whether you attend religious services, pray, read something inspirational, meditate, or just look for the good in others, having a more positive outlook on life helps you feel more like you’re floating instead of treading water. Just take some time to relax & tap into that higher power. It’ll help to spread the positive vibes around you!