Join us as we embark on a transformative journey, one that will take you through the victories and hardships of achieving your dreams while nurturing your wellbeing. Our facilitator, Lashanna Alfred, brings an uplifting message—one that acknowledges the rugged terrain of our personal and professional landscapes and the triumph of perseverance. This episode promises to equip you with the tools to celebrate your progress and face future challenges with unwavering confidence and resilience.
Join in a candid conversation about the unadorned truths behind personal success, the necessity of self-validation and the strength found in self-encouragement. Lashanna imparts wisdom for resetting and recalibrating as we transition into the second quarter of the year. Whether it's reflecting on past victories or preparing for upcoming goals, this episode is a heartfelt rally cry for anyone who needs a reminder that they are not just surviving, but thriving in the face of life's relentless tests.
Speaker 1:
Welcome to the Self-Care Society podcast with your hosts Celia Williamson, ashley Kuchar, louie Guardiola and Keri Shaw, a podcast devoted to those whose job it is to help others get or remain mentally, physically and emotionally healthy, but who also need to take care of themselves. And how we're going to do this? By first showing you the filtered, pretty version of success, and then the real struggles, real work and raw grit it took to get there, how they took care of themselves and also achieved their goals while doing it Together. We will work with you to improve and maintain your internal health and growth, while helping you achieve your external goals and your next professional achievement in life, and we're excited to show you how to follow your own individual and unique path and achieve the dreams you have while taking good care of yourself. So let's get started.
Speaker 2:
Welcome back everyone to the self-care podcast. I am LaShonna Alfred, and today I really just want to come on to encourage you to keep going, to keep going. I want you to really think about how far you've come and, even if you're not where you desire to be, look back over your life and notice how you've overcome 100% of the things that were designed to take you out, the things that were designed to cause you to quit and throw in the towel, the things that were designed to destroy you. What are some of those things? Maybe it was relocation, lack of support from family, maybe it was a divorce or a nasty breakup. Maybe it was a loss of a loved one. Whatever it is that you've had to experience up until this point, you made it, you didn't give up, you didn't throw in the towel, you stayed the course, and I just want to tell you good job, great job, and I want to encourage you to tell yourself. So, whether it's me or someone else that you may know, if we don't come on, if we don't validate you or give you credit, learn to encourage yourself, learn to look in the mirror, recognize how far you've come, recognize how hard you've worked and clap yourself or pat yourself on the back, give yourself a round of applause.
Speaker 2:
Oftentimes we wait on others to validate us, to recognize our accomplishments. But what if they don't? Does that stop you from moving forward, or does that lessen the accomplishments that you've made? It shouldn't. And so look over your life, reevaluate Even as you're listening to me now, as you're really looking over your life, think about what you've overcome. What you've overcome. No longer comparing yourself to anyone else, no longer comparing yourself and entertaining the things of I shoulda, coulda, woulda. No, just simply look over your life. Recognize that you've overcome a lot. Recognize that no one gave you anything, that it was the determination within you, the fortitude within you that caused you to keep going, that caused you not to throw in the towel. And so, today, encourage yourself. Today, look in the mirror and smile. Today, recognize that you are not just an overcomer, not just a victor, not just a survivor, but that you are a thriver. You are one who have taken what life has thrown at you and you kept going. Oh yeah, with that alone, you should be walking with your head up high. With that alone, you should be wiping the tears from your face. With that alone, you should be able to see a brighter future, because nothing is worth having if I didn't have to fight for it, if I didn't have to fight for it, if I didn't have to press for it. I've learned in my own life easy come, easy go, and so, when I'm faced with challenges, I've learned how to buckle my seatbelt, make sure my feet is planted so I can be ready to face whatever comes.
Speaker 2:
So, as we're embarking on this second quarter of this new year, reset, recalibrate, re-evaluate what has been happening in the first quarter of this year January, february, march and recognize any adjustments that need to take place. Make the necessary adjustments and move forward. Identify what are your goals for this second quarter April, may and June. What are those goals? Each day, we want to evaluate what we've accomplished, what we've learned, what we've noticed, in order to identify what needs to be adjusted. So today, if you have no one in your life to let you know that you are amazing, know that you are amazing, that you have everything within you to succeed, to accomplish your goals.
Speaker 2:
Don't let the struggles fool you. Don't let the challenges defeat you. Tell yourself that you were built for this. I've never seen an individual build muscle, lifting weight that's light In order to build the muscle, you have to challenge yourself to lift the weight. That's heavy, that's challenging, that's going to make you grunt, that's going to make you want to throw in the towel, want to give up.
Speaker 2:
So if you're faced with things in your life that makes you want to throw in the towel, that makes you want to give up, I'm saying rejoice, I'm saying be glad. This is your opportunity to change your mindset when it comes to challenges. It is your opportunity to change your mindset when it comes to what you can accomplish, what you can do. This is your opportunity. Look at every challenge as an opportunity for personal, professional, spiritual, mental and emotional growth. This is your opportunity to change your mindset. Be encouraged. You're not in this race alone. Even if you don't see us, even if you don't know us, just know that you have a group of people that's in this same race, going towards One goal. Even if you don't understand it, we are here as we're running our race. We're rooting for you to run yours. So don't give up, don't throw on the towel.
Speaker 2:
Today, I just wanted to encourage you. Today, I just wanted to remind you that you have everything that it takes to succeed. I just wanted to encourage you that, even if you're in your winter season, spring is around the corner, and what comes with spring? A lot of beautiful things. Even though it rains, the seeds that have been planted has an opportunity to grow. So be encouraged Today.
Speaker 2:
Make up in your mind that you're going to change your mindset. Anything that is not nurturing, that is not encouraging. I want you to make an intentional decision to remove it out of your mind. We're going to reverse and change every negative thought, every negative belief, to positive ones. So when you have a thought that says you can't do it, you turn around and say I can do it. When you have a thought that says you're not good enough, you you're going to change it and simply say I am more than enough Now. With that pattern, I want you to continue on. Don't give up the fight, because guess what You've already won, because guess what You've already won, you just don't know it yet You've already won. So be encouraged today Again. This is LaShonna Alfred.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for tuning in to the Self-Care Podcast. That concludes this week's episode. Remember, it's not selfish, it's self-care.