There are some people in your life who want you to stand still. They are uncomfortable with the idea of you changing or doing new things. These people understand that as you evolve they will either have to step up their own games or be left behind. We all have the right to grow and to experience new realities for ourselves. Beware of the person who wants you to be exactly the same person that you were when they met you. While your core values and beliefs needn't change, it's no badge of honor not to grow as a person...living the exact same life as you have for years on end.
Back in the day I rocked to the rap group Heavy D and the Boyz. Heavy D,the "Overweight Love" was known for a string of successful songs including, "Now That We Found Love," "Nuthin' But Love" and "Overweight Lover's in the House". Today the Jamaican born, Dwight Meyers is tearing up the reggae music scene with his album Vibes (Stride Entertainment, 2008). Today on The Tom Joyner Radio Show, Meyers said that when his child was born he wanted to be an engaged father and consequently he put his career on hold. When Meyers went back into the studio he said that he couldn't produce another Heavy D album, instead he went with his passions and created Vibes. As an established rap artist, he took a gigantic risk to produce an album that was entirely reggae. (His "Livin' Single" partner, rap artist Queen Latifah made a similar move with her R&B album, The Dana Owen Album [Interscope, 2004]) But Heavy D's life had changed, his priorities had changed and for him his music also needed to change.
Many of us get locked into a job title or an identity in our 20s and ten or even twenty years later we are petrified to release it so that we can transition to the next phase of our lives. We'll hold on to the familiar version of ourselves even when it no longer serves us. Your life should be guided by your interests and by your needs, as they stand today. Every time we do something new there is are inherent risks that it may fail and that people may not like it. However when you fail to take risks you are relegating yourself to stagnation. You are consigning yourself to a life that is not filled with joy or excitement, just predictable routines.
Heavy D took a leap of faith and in 2009 he was rewarded with a Grammy nomination for "Best Reggae Album." Maybe no one is going to give you an award for following your passions and evolving your life, but living a vibrant, fulfilling life is reward in itself.
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No problem! But here's what you MUST include:Yvonne Bynoe is a life coach whose company, SophisticatedWomanandMama.com supports working mothers. She is also the creator of the Working Moms Balancing System (TM), the proven step-by-step program to design your best life--one that is less stressful, more fulfilling and more prosperous. Find out more about Yvonne Bynoe at http://www.SophisticatedWomanandMama.com
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