What's in your cup? Defining the substance and the source, living from the overflow,
and only giving away what you own!
WOW! It has been quite the roller coaster ride these past few months. I’ve become more aware of behavior, patterns, abilities, energy and overall functionality. It’s interesting to witness and participate in this transitional season, consciously. About 6 years ago, I was made aware that we as humans function 95% of our day subconsciously. Meaning we just go through the motions of the day such as driving to work, brushing our teeth, getting dinner ready, unconsciously. When I first read that, I was blown away. So much of our day to day function are patterns of routine.
Since becoming aware of this, I've been practicing protocols to reset and increase my conscious function daily.
I believe personally every year since finding out this awakening statistic, I’ve gained at least 5% of conscious function back. Which might not seem like a lot but when you look at the full capacity of our brain and the power that arises when our spirit, mind, and body aligns and begins to function like it was created too, it is a game changer. Right now, give or take, I’m between 60-65% and sometimes when I’m really sharp it can feel like 50%.
I say all of this because it ties back into my personal check in with myself. I’ve been more consciously aware of my energy levels. I’m always using the analogy of a cup.
When we deplete and give away everything, our cup becomes empty. We experience side effects such as depression, frustration, mood swings, etc. It’s as if the world is ending, life is unbearable. Believe me, August felt like that month for me, I felt unbalanced. This past year, I’ve become more mindful that I can not give anything out of my cup.
I need every ounce of substance that it contains. It is the essential factors of my productivity, sustainability, mental, physical, and spiritual health all bundled up within the cup.
So, what does that mean? For me it means, I can only give out of the overflow. When my cup is overflowing with all of that goodness such as love, patience, kindness, wisdom, and knowledge that is when I can come out and play. This is when Alysha is at her best.
Becoming conscious that I have not felt that overflow in a while was a big reality check. What that does for me is it changes my approach. It literally changes the way I move. I can’t go just anywhere. I can’t entertain just anyone. It limits both my output and input capabilities. I’ve had to be extremely careful about where I go, who I speak with, and what I give my energy too. I’ve been in a transitional season where most of my engagement is contributing to the filling of my cup! For me I’ve been consciously on the receiving end.
That starts with this very important question in the morning, “What does Alysha need today?”
- shoutout to my health and wellness coach for this major gem. She encouraged me in early August to ask this question every morning when I wake up. I did for over a week straight and finally heard clearly, Alysha needs her cup full!
Now let's talk about the substance for a second because this is the critical part about the cup! At that time, I felt like my cup was empty. Which in truth was accurate. It was empty of the substance that I needed to function in harmony with my true self. As most of you know my source of life is God, Creator, Elohym, Universe, all mighty Power! This source produces the substances of my life. Substances such as freedom, prosperity, protection, gratitude, knowledge, peace, calm, love i.e. THE LIGHT. These substances were not in my cup. But now, I’ve realized that although my cup didn’t contain these substances didn’t necessarily mean my cup was empty completely. No Sir, my cup was filled, just not with the Light. It was being filled with depression, heartache, denial, trauma, i.e. DARKNESS!
Our cups are never truly empty; they either contain substances of light or darkness. There’s always substance in our cup!
So that morning, when I was finally able to see that my cup needed to be refilled with the light producing substances of life and purged of the dead works of darkness, it shifted things for me!
Now, back to the input! Only aligning myself with life producing substances has been the win for me during this time. What that looks like for me right now is community! Spending time with my nephew who's turning 14 years old soon. Gathering with other like-minded people. Protecting my container. I’ve drastically reduced certain influences that had previously caused negative emotions or outcomes such as turning off instagram and not watching t.v. Another big one has been a 31 day detox from alcohol and now it’s been over 50 days since I’ve drank.
Becoming more conscious of the impact that certain engagement produces in my spirit, mind, and body has been eye opening.
For example, last night I went to drop off my cousin's crock pot that I borrowed months ago. I was able to hangout with my little cousins between the ages of 12 years old and 8 months. This gave me energy, especially the 8-month old. As I held him, I felt his innocence and love. He laid his little head on my chest as he watched the movie Sing 2. As odd as it might sound, we exchanged energy! We both needed something last night and without saying a word we received it. I’ve had moments similar to this one over the past few weeks that have encouraged, strengthened, and moved me forward in a powerful way. Little by little my cup is being filled with the substances of light!
Although I'm not overflowing yet, I’m exchanging what I’m receiving.
It’s not always easy to be selective and protective of your energy.
When life happens, it has the power to pull you in different directions.
If you are not in the proper position you can be on the other end of that tug of war rope with your face right in the mud. I know what the mud feels like. I’ve been there but the good thing is… I didn’t stay stuck there. I’m being cleaned off. Still alil dirty, but making progress. It’s impossible to clean yourself off when you’re still in it. I guess that’s the praise report here y’all. I’m out of the mud!
Transitional seasons are tough. I can’t lie, there’s times that I just want to fast forward through to get to the other side. Like a good movie with bad parts, I wish there was just a button I could hit that would skip past it. But that’s not how life goes. I have to go through this, but not alone. I get to partner with God. Taking it one day at a time! Learning to be gentle and patient with myself is new to me. Slowing down. Sitting in silence. Crying with friends. Being vulnerable. All of this is my collective community right now!
In writing my book Complete, I knew that I was going to go through a season where I needed to learn who I had become! With all of the training, lived experiences, education, and newness, Complete taught me that I’ve been transformed and I get to learn who I am now! I don’t have to hold on to the things that no longer serve purpose in my life. The bags that were meant to be dropped off aren’t designed to go with us to our next destination. Complete symbolizes that part of my journey is done! All that I’ve become, I get to learn how to sustain her now!
One thing that we don't really hear when it comes to healing is the purging that takes place during the process. It might not always look like what you thought. It might not always feel good. But in order for us to receive newness we must be stripped of the old.
This is where I can see the beauty in the process.
Hard- yes
Ugly- yes
Painful-yes
But NECESSARY!
I’m entering a new place, one that I’m excited about!
One that God is carrying me through, without self-effort.
So, as always I love to end each blog with a pure message. Mas LaRae means More Light. Our whole mission is to amplify a pure message for our generation. We do this through a multimedia approach by sharing our stories, clothing with a purpose, and intentional relationship building. Learn more about our vision at www.maslarae.com
Here's A Pure Message For You:
Be gentle with yourself
Find healthy outlets such as nature, writing, talk therapy
Identify your tribe (safe places to share, grow, and learn)
When you wake up, ask this question; What do I need today?
Know that you are worthy of kindness, love, and grace, then receive it, and OWN IT!
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