Overcoming inner struggles

My latest home decorations.  These are the first paintings that I've done and hung in plain view, hooray!  I call these Sunday Morning Part 1 and 2. 

 

 

Hello there lovelies~

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful week and looking forward to "hump day happiness" tomorrow.  Naptural85 has a video on her YouTube channel "DearNaptural85" called overcoming inner struggles.  This video is a reply to a question that she received from a struggling college student.  Paraphrased, the question asks Nap how she learned to love herself.  In her response, Nap goes into how she has overcome inner struggles.  Basically, her inner struggles have came from a lifetime of being "too white" for black people and "too black" for white people.  As soon as she said this I thought, "the story of my life."  

Basically, for most of my life I have "not fit in."  As stated by Nap I have always been "too white" for black people and "too black" for white people.  Well, if you haven't experienced this let me share with you that it stinks.  What do you do when who you are "isn't right?"  I tell you what you do, you stop looking to other people to justify who you are.  You don't depend on others to accept you on their terms.  Instead, you figure out exactly who you are, you be yourself, and let God do the rest.  The best way to find out who you are is to engage in the activities that you enjoy and that bring you pleasure.  Once you find out what truly speaks to you and puts you in a place of comfort you begin to worry less about how the world perceives you. 

To this day I don't feel as though I fit into any particular "box" so to speak, and I love it.  I've found that people who have a problem with me usually do so because they have a problem with themselves.  When we limit ourselves and then see others doing what we want to do, but are too scared to do we become jealous and easily take that out on the other person.  So, Nap suggests in her video that the best way to overcome inner struggles is to set a personal goal.  Set a goal that can be done only by you, and to submerge yourself in that goal.  Although I'm pretty comfortable with myself I thought that this was a great way to strengthen myself (we can never be too strong).  So, my personal goal is to run a marathon this year.  Unfortunately , I have really slacked off on my running over the past year and a half.  So, this is a great way to get back at it, back at something that I love and feel comfortable doing.  I guess running is sort of a haven for me.  In running, I don't need to depend on others; this means that it doesn't matter who does or doesn't like or accept me. 

Anyhoo, I wanted to share this with you all because this video really touched me.  I've had a lot of inner struggles throughout life (and still have some).  I feel like too often we don't talk about what's going on inside which gives a feeling of isolation.  I've never talked much with anyone about the feelings that come along with basically being rejected by my own race.  So, now here I am, ready to get the conversation started. 

Let me know your thoughts on overcoming inner struggles.  Have you had inner struggles?  How have you overcome them?  Do you have any goals set for this year to help you be more in touch with you? 

So, check out the video and let me know your thoughts on the video and your personal experiences....

Tootles for now