In this winding road called life, sometimes half the battle is just staying motivated. I don’t know about ya’ll, but I have my good days and my bad days. I have days I’m super pumped and focused, and others I just feel like blah. Furthermore, when you have goals and dreams, half the battle is conjuring up enough gumption to do that dang thing. If that’s you, I got you covered today. I’m going to share 3 Books that Motivated me to trust the process and go for my dreams.
Go- noun| an attempt or trial at something.
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My Story:
You know what. Today was one of those days I almost thought myself out of being great. I almost did not write this post. I almost didn’t believe in my vision. In fact, I was overwhelmed with thoughts and new ideas for “making things better by…”. Then, I belted out a mean prayer and was instantly filled with the reminder to trust the process and continue to go for my dreams. Trust the process. An easy enough sentiment, but so very difficult to practice in reality.
I mean really. I’m a control freak, so asking me to stop trying to gain control and go with the flow is like asking a a baby to get off the boob, or asking your man to actually put his clothes in the hamper instead of next to it, but I digress. Nonetheless, I read two books in the last few season, and when I closed the back cover to each of the books, I was instantly inspired to trust the flow of my life, the process, and keep going towards my dreams. These 3 books motivated me to trust the process, so much so, I had to share in the gems.
Break it down, B
In an effort to keep my mind sharp and my writing skills on point, I like to try to read one book a month. Don’t get me wrong sometimes it gets a little tight, but I digress. Nevertheless, the books I am about to share are different in that they were written by women of color with very different background and the text themselves occupy different genres. Yet, each of them share a common theme, and that is–Sis, trust the process of your life, and it will all come together.
I don’t know about you, but I need that reminder quite often. So below I am going to share with you a brief summary of the texts. I’m also going to share my favorite quote from the books. Lastly, I am going to explain how the 3 books that motivated me to trust the process and go for my dreams found a special place in my heart.
3 books that motivated me to trust the Process and go for my dreams
“With the Fire on High” is so good ya’ll. It’s about a family oriented teenaged mother who has a gift of cooking. She’s so good, her cooking causes people to rehash loving memories that bring tears to their eyes. While Emoni is a great cook, she struggles with confidence, discipline, and self- doubt. No matter, because through all of her woes, she persevere and finds a way to do what she love. It’s not easy at all, but she keeps pushing as we follower her journey towards building a life she loves starting in her Senior year of high school.
Reading about this strong young lady juggle school, the loss of her mother, and semi absence of her father, family, earning money, raising her daughter, challenging obstacles in relation to her dreams, and a dream that really scares her silly is so inspirational. She allows her passions and dreams to carry her to the next level in life, and all she seems to do is remain committed to her passion of cooking. While reading I feel like if she can juggle all of those difficulties in Philly, surely I can remain committed to my craft and sees where it takes me.
Favorte Quote:
“What better way to take a leap of faith than to set something on fire and trust it will not only come out right, but that it will be completely delicious?”
Elizabeth Acevedo, With the Fire on High
2. More than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say), by Elaine Welteroth
“More than Enough” is literally everything. Elaine Welteroth provides us food for thought and captions galore as she walks us through her path to evolving into the fashion forward media legend she is known to be. She shares true accounts of her childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, and adulthood as a working professional. We are instantly connect to her journey and feel as if we are right behind her every step of the way toward her promotion to becoming the first Black Female Editor of Teen Vogue.
I mean what more could we ask for. She provides us with relationship gems, professional gems, as well as the literary therapy we need causing us to look inward and ask ourselves the internal motivation for our ambitious, consider our purposes, all while unpacking the importance of balancing work, personal, and mental health. The woman is ultimately fire fighting fires such as micro-aggressions, confidence, and carving our a space as a mixed woman and a plainly assigned white, or black world. Each page I wanted to be better. Think better. Dream better. For “More than Enough”, her memoir made me feel like all things are possible with hard work, trust, confidence, and humility.
Favorite Quote
“I was finally waking up to my own possibilities, and to deeper realization of the power of vision and faith—two of the most important tools I would need on my journey. For the first time, I understood that the bigness of my life would be determined not only by the bigness of my dreams, but also by my capacity to trust that there is a Higher Power who would always take those dreams and multiply them.”
Elaine Welteroth, More than Enough
3. Becoming by Michelle Obama
Okay, so “Becoming ” and the Michelle Obama obviously need no introduction. Yet and still this book, cover to cover, meant everything thing to me. Just when you think every one has it together, you learn that the most powerful and impactful people, too, are on journeys that shape and pull them causing them to evolve into a new more impactful version. That is what we learn while reading “Becoming.” Michelle Obama is kind enough to share with us her ups, downs, and reflections on her childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, adulthood as a working professional, and womanhood as a wife and mother.
Yet the two most inspirational themes for myself was reading about how she realized that even in the position of prestige that many of us aspire to–even as a lawyer, purpose still has a place. Michelle Obama reaches deep into her feelings about having it all as an attorney, but feeling empty; then, redirecting. That part meant everything to me, for it reminded me that redirection is okay if we are trusting God to lead us to more fulfilling spaces. Overall, “Becoming” helped me understand its okay to reroute, and be unsure. Yet, if we truly trust the process, a path with be laid out that is more glorious than we could imagine!
Favorite Quote
“For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.”
Michelle Obama, Becoming
In Summary
Ladies, Ladies, Ladies, if you have not already, but are in the need for some extra fuel to your fire, pick up one or all of these books. Sure enough, they will have you pumped and ready to conquer your thing! Each page was well worth the time and money. To this day, when I need to refuel, I visit the highlighted quotes and moments of encouragement. Through the tales, With the Fire on High, and reflections, More than Enough and Becoming, we becoming empowered to fight for our dreams while trust that life will in deed carry us beyond our wildest expectations.
Journal Topic
Free write on the following: What do you do to refuel when inspiration is low? What inspires you? What excites you about moving forward?
Facts
- We can do all things with God.
- Reroutes or otherwise, the process will guide us to our destinations.
- Women’s stories are everything.
Salute
Thanks for reading! It means the most to us!
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