“When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done..”
The mind is a funny thing.
Unless you tame and completely disarm it with gratitude, it can convince you that hope is lost in the midst of your most difficult challenges.
So it was that hymn above that truly kept me afloat this year.
It kept me in a constant state of gratitude, counting blessings and incredible opportunities that came my way despite personal challenges.
For my focus word this year, I picked “TRUST”.
When I picked it, I said I was going to start 2024 with a blank slate of trust and flow. It was a word that would help me voluntarily release control instead of unwillingly surrendering it. A word that will help me battle undue stress within my control and ensure I finally let go.
So, how did it go?
I can’t even begin to describe the atrocities we’ve witnessed and continue to witness in 2024.
Genocides. Corruption. Deeply entrenched systemic racism. Prejudice. Islamophobia. Anti-Semitism. Trump. Greed. Horrific justification of all these. Words are long gone. The world is becoming desensitized.
As an empath, I must protect my energy, otherwise I won’t be able to show up in any way to be helpful or useful to anyone.
Personally, this year dragged me.
It dragged me so completely that I had no choice but to let go and trust God fully and completely.
So, what were life’s billows?
Beyond rebuilding and starting over post-divorce after 16 years in a relationship, 2024 wasn’t the financial year I had hoped for. Yes, I was still able to run my business and bring in revenue, live comfortably, and have all my needs met. But I had been planning to scale and expand to twice its revenue. I was planning on bringing even more team members onboard, but I couldn’t.
Every time I got a rejection or a partnership fell through, I remembered the hymn above. Add on the physical discomfort and changes that come with perimenopause on top of this, and needless to say, 2024 didn’t feel like my year.
But I remembered the hymn. Always.
So when preparing this post, I decided to scroll back on my Instagram feed to count my blessings. To remind myself what fully trusting in God brought into my life in 2024.
And what were God’s blessings?
Besides keeping my family healthy, safe, and provided for, here are some professional blessings that came my way:
And to think my mind was trying to convince me otherwise. My Lord.
There were also personal blessings too.
Beyond spending quality time with my family across the globe, the universe also sent different types of friendships and acquaintances I needed during specific moments and transition points to teach me more about myself, help me grow, challenge me, and show me so much better. I also outgrew friendships and relationships, and those always come with their own grieving process as well.
But knowing and above all, trusting, that I’m being guided along to where I need to be mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
So as I wind down this year, I am beyond grateful that I get to do this. It’s a tremendous privilege I don’t take for granted.
What was lost will be recouped beyond measure because I trust God.
I am so grateful and thankful for every single one of you who continue to support me in tangible and intangible ways.
I see you and I appreciate you.