Relevance by Ebony Pollard
I watched the sun rise this morning (because Lovebug—that’s what I call my baby girl—woke up at THEE crack of dawn). I couldn’t help but appreciate the sound of the birds singing their morning songs as the yellowish-orange glow of the sun filtered through the living room window. Lovebug, content in my arms, was quiet in that moment and I drank in the peace. Moments like these, my mind tends to wander; sometimes to a specific place and other times, nowhere in particular.
Well, this time, my mind did wander to a specific place—a place it didn’t need to be. An issue that had been bothering me for quite some time permeated my thoughts. Almost immediately, the peace that I was feeling just moments before began to contend with an anxiousness that was welling up inside me. Anxiousness soon grew into irritation and, before I knew it, I was on my way to being a little miffed!
Then my daughter, who recently discovered that she can make all sorts of neat sounds with her little mouth, began to blow spit bubbles—her most favorite! Because I think everything that my infant princess does is pretty much awesome, I turned my attention to her (and wiped a little baby spit off of my cheek).
Just like that, spit bubbles brought me back to my sunny, peaceful place. 
“This moment, right here, is relevant. This is what I should be focusing on.”I said out loud.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Too often we waste time and energy concerning ourselves with things that we can’t do anything about or that just don’t matter … or both … when there are lots of positive things taking place.
I am a thinker. That isn’t always a good thing. Sometimes, I think myself into a frenzy. I told you all, in a previous post, that I was on a mission to identify the things that keep me from moving forward. Thinking too hard about things that can’t be controlled can be something that could keep any one of us from moving ahead in life.
Obstacle identified. From now on, I’m focusing on things that are relevant.
Thank God for spit bubbles and sunshine, huh?
So, what irrelevant thoughts are standing in your way? Change your focus. Change your mind. Change your life.
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The only thing holding you back is YOU!
In a previous post, I briefly wrote about moving forward. Shortly after posting, I realized that I think, talk and write about this subject quite a bit. It must be pretty important to me, huh? Still, I find myself stuck in the same spot in a few areas of my life and I’m asking, “Why am I still here?” For me to feel as strongly as I do about the importance of moving forward, in anyone’s life, I certainly haven’t gotten very far in my own, it seems.
I am glad that I made this realization, though. It caused me to take a moment and reflect on the possible reasons why I haven’t progressed in certain areas. Willing to be honest with myself, I see the things that I have allowed to stand in the way of progress.
There are obstacles—both self-imposed and those beyond my control—blocking my view of my goals. It is time to clear the pathway.
Moving forward isn’t just about advancing your hopes, dreams and aspirations. It is also about internal growth and maturation, a constant process until we take our last breath.
I intend to explore these obstacles in my life. Removing them will be a process but, I am willing to stay the course.
What are some obstacles that are standing in your way? Which obstacles are self-imposed (things you brought on yourself) and which are out of your control (resulting from your environment, upbringing, etc.)? What needs to take place in your mind and heart to eradicate them so that you can move on with your life?
True to my candid and transparent nature, I will share my revelations about my own obstacles on my personal blog, as they come to me, in hopes that my experiences can help others. So, by all means, feel free to check out my personal blog as I look for the deeper meaning behind the phrase moving forward!
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Each new day is an opportunity to be better than you were the day before. With a sunrise, comes the chance to forgive and release yourself from the past and make a decision to move forward. Too often, we look back and get caught up in the what-ifs. But, if we would just continue to move forward, we would see that the future can be greater than the past. We just need to change our attitudes.
Don’t let your past paralyze you with fear and keep you from moving ahead. Instead, use your past failures as a launching pad to catapult you into your destiny. Allow yourself to learn the valuable lesson that comes with each failure, apply that lesson to your life and make wise decisions from that point on.
These thoughts can definitely be applied to your life as a student! Being a student isn’t always easy. There may be some challenges along the way to obtaining your degree but, as long as you stay determined, you will get there!
Have a great week!
–Ebony
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