Musings of BelovedEsther

Courtesy WSDee Photography Hey all Last year, I did a spot of modelling for House of Stone , an online fashion brand based in the UK that specialises in making affordable handmade dresses for all types of events. It was so much fun. House of Stone is hosting another fashion show on 11th May, details can be found here -  Fashion, Fun and Fizz . Get your tickets before they run out, you won't be disappointed.

Photo by Jessica Castro on Unsplash Hope you've had a great weekend. Today I'm thankful for life :), health and family. Even though we go through so many things in life there is so much to be thankful for, so give thanks and say what you're grateful for BelovedEsther

Photo by Charles Etoroma on Unsplash Are you doing what you're passionate about? If not, what's stopping you?

Photo by Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash

Hello Hope you're well. I wanted to quickly share with you a book I've been reading over the past couple of months.  It is called Today Matters by John C. Maxwell. In Today Matters , Maxwell advises that "the secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda. Make the decision once, then manage it daily. Successful people make the right decisions early and manage those decisions daily." He identifies 12 areas of life in which he believes the right decisions should be made. Once made, these decisions should be practised on a daily basis. I particularly enjoyed chapter 7 - Today's Thinking Gives Me An Advantage. John outlines various types of thinking including intentional thinking, big-picture thinking, creative thinking, etc. He explains the benefit of finding a time and space to practise the habit of good thinking daily. For me, my focus right now is intentional and creative thinking. You can purchase your copy of Today Matters...

Photo by Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash 'Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.' Psalms 30:5B

Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash  Have you ever felt like you're in a struggle with yourself, wanting to break out but don't know how nor do you seem to have the strength? This is what I call the transformation process and over the coming weeks, I'll be sharing some of my thoughts and reflections from my own journey. Today I just want to remind you that every single individual is at some point in life in the process of transformation, and while at times, the process makes no sense, gives no hint of how long it will last or even the sight of a way out, there is light at the end of the tunnel and the day will surely break. Hang in there and submit to the process of transformation, something beautiful surely awaits you. Love BelovedEsther

Photo by Bruno van der Kraan on Unsplash 'And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And behold , there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. ' Matthew 28:1-8

Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger on Unsplash But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes, we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 NLT

Isaiah 53:5

Photo by James Healy on Unsplash

Photo by Clark Tibbs on Unsplash I've been thinking about some of the things that have held me back over the years and I've come to realise that often times, what is needed is the ability to believe in oneself. I know what it feels like to have big ideas but be paralysed by fear of the unknown. Fear of rejection, of not being good enough, of being too good, of failing, of succeeding, of not making an impact, and so the list goes. On this growth/transformation journey, I've become acutely aware that all fear does is steal from me, it steals precious time, ideas, energy and life. Sometimes and I dare say most times, on the road to greatness or significance, what is required is the decision to do something great and significant and then do it. However, what that looks like for me may not be the same for you, all that matters is that you take the first step. My encouragement for you today is to dare to let go of what is holding back and reach out for your dreams, ...

I am a creative power /being and therefore, I can command the hidden soil/seeds from which my circumstances grow. I do this by replacing the narrative in of the soil of my mind.

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash "A man can only rise, conquer and achieve by lifting up his thoughts. He can only remain weak, and abject, and miserable by refusing to lift up his thoughts. Before a man can achieve anything, even in worldly things, he must lift his thoughts above slavish animal indulgence." Awareness: For me, this speaks to the resolution that must be taken and committed to wholeheartedly before anything is conquered or achieved. If I persist in low thinking there will be no achievement and weakness will remain the king of the day. Change: I will continue to lift up my thoughts daily.

Kastel Novi, Split, Croatia Today I'm thankful for life, the chance to be a better version of myself and the opportunity to enjoy this adventure called life. Up until the recent past, I've found it hard to let go of my cautious side and just take risks, but I'm learning that everything in life is a risk. I'm not there yet and there's still so much I want to get done in my lifetime that's why I'm taking each day as it comes and stepping outside of my comfort zone into the unknown. Here's an excerpt of something I wrote years ago Every day is an adventure to be explored As an adventure, it is to be explored and enjoyed to the fullest No use letting the day's worry creep up the wall Rather  with open arms, explore the adventure that every day brings BelovedEsther (c) 2001

Photo by Renáta-Adrienn on Unsplash "The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda. If you make a few key decisions and then manage them well in your daily agenda, you will succeed. What you become is the result of what you do today.  My preparation today gives me confidence for tomorrow." 

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash Growth comes from making decisions daily and following through on them daily.  The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda. Make the decision once, then manage it daily. Successful people make right decisions early and manage those decisions daily.

Today's quote is from a book I'm currently reading by John C.  Maxwell, "Today Matters". "Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present."

Photo by  Valentina Conde  on  Unsplash The picture says it all, keep pushing

"As a being of intelligence, power and love, and the lord of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may make himself what he wills." Awareness/ Change: I hold the key to the change I desire, I must learn to look inwards and begin to work this principle in my life.

"Your wishes and dreams will only come true when they are in harmony with your thoughts and actions. It is futile to fight against circumstances . You cannot change your surroundings while continuing to think the same thoughts that brought you here. To improve your circumstances, improve yourself. Self-discipline is key to obtaining anything you want, no matter whether your aims are high or low. Even those who simply desire money must make many personal sacrifices to earn it. Think of how many more sacrifices it takes to develop a resilient, trustworthy, inspiring, fully-rounded. character ." Awareness/Take Action: I must make the necessary sacrifice of self-discipline in my thinking to begin to see the improvements in my circumstances and my environment that I want.

"As a being of intelligence, power and love, and the lord of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may make himself what he wills." Awareness: I hold the key to the change I desire, I must learn to look inwards and begin to work this principle in my life.

"A man's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will fall therein and will continue to produce their kind." Awareness/Change/Take Action : I must actively put in good thought-seeds into my mind to prevent useless weed -seeds from falling into the garden of my mind, I have to actively plant good thought-seeds.  This means active cooperation with the law of thought on my path and as James Allen says, the result is a direct measure of the effort - my results will be directly proportionate to the effort I put into this activity.