When I Grow Up | Articles | Walden University
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Friday, July 18, 2014
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Maya Angelou One of Those Women
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I admire successful women, not necessarily financial success,
but women who have pulled themselves from nothing, meager beginnings or adverse
situations, and emerged from those adversities to achieve what some only dream
about.
Maya Angelou was one of those women. Every time she spoke I
listened with great anticipation of being inspired. Her words were so elegant
and full of substance, provoking me to stand firm and stay on course with my
goals.
Even though I was not honored to have personally met her, she
was part of my path and growth through her writings, good deeds and actions.
She proved that you don't always have to come from something to be something.
Great people can come from unknown places. She was not without fault, but
rather than hide the misfortunes of her youth, she wrote about it in the award
winning autobiography, I Know Why Caged Birds Sing. Opposed to
living her life as a victim, she rose to become a prolific writer, author,
teacher and activist who educated and inspired millions.
Through her widely popular poem, Phenomenal Woman,
Maya taught women that true beauty is not on the cover of magazines, but beauty
eludes from your body language with attitude and confidence. She encouraged men
to look beyond our external features and discover our inner mysteries.
I give honor to Maya Angelou. It's beautiful when you touch
someone's life and your legacy is a gift to future generations. That gift
should not be taken for granted. If Maya touched many, surely we can touch a
few. It only takes one to touch another. Imagine the boundaries we could cross
with an arm's reach.
She died quietly in her sleep. Her voice is gone, but her light
will shine forever.
Maya Angelou was one of those women.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Mirror, Mirror Please Tell Me The Truth!
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While walking down the
street a few years ago in my hometown of Chicago, I noticed a man coming
towards me with a decorative wall mirror in his hands. As we approached each
other, he stopped and asked, “Do you want to buy a mirror?” I replied “no” as I
continued to walk past the man. To my surprise he shouted to me, “You are
vain.” I chuckled to myself and without any preconceived thought, slightly
turned my head (while continuing to walk) and spoke back, “You need to take a
look into that mirror.” Thankfully, he did not reply and I kept walking until I
was a block away realizing I had stepped out of my comfort zone and made a
comment to a strange man who had the appearance of being addicted to something,
quite possibly drugs.
I was slightly agitated that a complete
stranger had the nerve to call me vain, but more hopeful that he took my advice
and looked in the mirror. Mirrors come in all sizes, shapes and forms. Some are
plain with no distinct features and others are quite elaborate with decorative
finishes. Regardless of the outward garnishes, mirrors have one thing in common.
They tell a story. Some stories are youthful where others show signs of aging.
A mirror will show a transformation of our bodies over the years and when we
decide to make significant changes, the same mirror will reverse the
transformation. We can depend on mirrors to cut, style and curl our hair, put
on make-up or sashay in front of with a fancy new outfit. Businesses rely on mirrors to help us make
decisions about making purchases and mirrors are installed in cars with front,
sides and back views to guide us while driving, which helps to save our lives.
Yes, mirrors tell lots of stories, but most of all mirrors tell the Truth.
The truth is we all need to look in the
mirror of our lives at some point on the journey. We can learn a lot by
studying and examining our life experiences. Each day we look into the mirror
of life, we may discover something new. Imagine when looking in the mirror if a
line reveals you are on a journey. A bump says you have overcome the blocks on
the road. Grey hair is an indication of wisdom and loss of hair means you have
shredded those heavy loads. Mirrors can
be encouraging and at times discouraging. You can make the mirror your friend
or your enemy. My point in the analogies is some things we see in the mirror we
cannot change and others we can by making a commitment to transformation.
Now
days when I think about the man walking down the street selling a mirror, I
consider if he looked in the mirror and made a life change, but I also take my
own advice. Each day I look in the mirror of life and encourage myself with the
thought, “You can do better.” As a life coach, I encourage you to look in your
mirror of truth and move past the things that time won’t change to focus on the
things that really matter, the things you can change.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Friday, February 28, 2014
Friday, February 7, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
If I Could Have, Would Have, Should Have
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There are many
variations of this title. The late jazz and R&B singer Lou Rawls used lyrics
in his popular song with the title, “If I Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda” The guest
evangelist speaking at a church service titled her sermon, “When I Could, I Wouldn’t;
now I Want to and I Can’t.” Anyway you say it; the intent is to suggest
regrets.
If you are reading this
article and have never spoken these words or something similar, you can stop
reading now. You are perfect! For the rest of us, there have been times in
life, perhaps even now, that you have considered, what if? What if I had continued
in school, not had children, married the other person, stayed on my job, took
the position in another town, did as the doctor told me………and the list goes on.
You can place your own if(s) in the dots and if you are like me, could possible
fill most of this page. We all have times when we reflect on the past and
believe things would be different if we had taken another direction or made
another choice whether personal, family, relationships, careers, or business.
You are absolutely
correct; things would be different, but not necessarily for the better. We
typically make decisions based on circumstances that dictate our choices.
Sometimes we have full knowledge and other times we make decisions based on our
emotions. Even decisions made with significant thought, research and educated
calculations may not bring us the results we seek. Most significant is the
experiences and lessons learned. If we
carefully review are past choices and move forward, we elevate our thought
process to a “now focus.”
You may have regrets,
but you do not have to remain in that cloud. I understand some choices have
been extreme like drug and alcohol addictions, committing crimes, staying in
abusive situations or being abusive. However, if you have humbled yourself and
submitted to a better life, you have made an incredibly important choice.
Regardless of your regret or situation, it is now time to take a living forward position and keep going
in that direction no matter what. You Could, if only you Would!
For more on Sheila Agnew visit her on the web at http://www.sheilaagnew.com
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