UNPLUG

This year has certainly been an eventful one. From the release of my first children's book 'Sola The Flying Ostrich', to moving into a new place, and landing my first contract job, etc. I must say that everything seems to be moving in turbo mode for me in 2018.

I'd be a snob not to say that I'm extremely grateful for all the countless opportunities that have come my way in the past eleven months, but, with that being said; breaking new ground often entails greater challenges, demanding that one has to become more in order to have more.

In my case, the pressure of pushing for greater in hopes of exceeding my own expectations, as well as those of others brought me to a place of overwhelming insecurity.

I was constantly trying to keep up with our fast paced world, and I kept asking myself whether I was doing good enough to maintain and eventually reach new heights with what I had been blessed with. And the fact that I used social media as my primary platform, made it even more difficult for me to not want to compare myself to other content creators and influencers.

By the middle of this year, my life began to spiral, and I knew that if I didn't take action to change the trajectory of where my life was heading, my entire world would eventually come crumbling down. So, in late September, I decided to take a step back, and break away from the things that were occupying most of my time.

The blog, YouTube, and Social Media were put on hold, so that I could focus on what truly matters; and that is my spiritual well-being, my family, and my health.

At first, unplugging from the rest of the world seemed like such a crazy thing to do, considering that something new is always happening every ten seconds. But, to my surprise, spending time away from the noise was way more liberating than I could have ever imagined.

I became more in tune with God and with myself, and learned to hear His voice clearly because there was nothing distracting me from being aware of His presence. There was no comparison or stress in the silence (His presence), only gratitude, peace, hope, happiness, and love.

As cliché as it may sound, being still helped me to re-focus my energy on building my faith, engaging with my family, and fulfilling my God given dreams. Had I continued to be sidetracked, I would have never realized how I was going off-course.

"Be still and know that I am God! I will be exalted among the heathen; I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 46:10

We often forget that God knows everything that we need in this life. He knows our end from it's beginning, and holds the secret to our success. All He wants is for us to seek Him first, not only, but first, and He will guide us to our destiny--giving us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

Read Matthew 6:33

I can testify that all my bright ideas, song lyrics, stories, and creative projects came to me when I was still. In the absence of chaos, my creative juices flow uninterruptedly because I gain clarity in silence, and truly discover my best self there.

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So is my life perfect now? Of course not. But I am glad to know that I am heading in the right direction and not just chasing after waterfalls....

What does this mean for my social media platforms? I'm not giving them up, but, I am going to manage them with purpose in mind. And, I definitely want to ensure that there is balance in everything that I do. So unplugging occasionally is something that I intend to do in order to maintain that balance.

I encourage you, my wonderful readers, to take some time to unplug and be still. Life is too short to constantly live on the edge. Find some balance and enjoy every moment of the time that you have left here on earth.

XOXO!

Thembi M Fletcher.

Pictures by Shane E Fletcher.