Heartstrong Series: A Brief Introduction and A New Challenge

Hi, everyone. I've been thinking long and hard of a perfect introduction to what I'm about to lay out in this post, but as they say, the first step is the hardest. Truth be told, I think most of the time as writers we tend to overthink and over-emphasize on the perfection of our writing we end up sabotaging ourselves. So with this, I shall keep it simple and see where this free flow of thoughts lead me.

Before I joined Steemit, I've always had the desire to write and share what I know, becoming a parent only intensified the desire. I am by nature a person of many words, (mostly in writing, that is) pretty much a total opposite of my husband. Some days the thoughts in my mind and heart are so loud I feel like exploding, alas, many times I don't have the right words to articulate what's within.

One of the things I love about Steemit is that it celebrates diversity and community. We see different groups of people coming together through various interests and causes, yet supportive and respectful of the differences around. I believe in humanity, and since Steemit primarily brings people together through writing, I would like to introduce what has been in my heart for a long, long time.

The Heartstrong Series will talk about life and the matters of the heart. I know there are lots of encouraging and motivational posts written by our fellow Steemians and I applaud that, keep 'em coming! My take would be, there's no such thing as too much goodness. And what better way to take the opportunity to share, relate and support each other through uplifting and encouraging words!

The Good Book has many lovely verses on the power of words, and one of my favorites is;

Kind and gracious words are like honey—
sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
Proverbs 16:24

With every word spoken and written, it has the effect to build up or tear down. Whether we speak life or death to a situation, a person or even ourselves, we are the first to hear it in our heart and in our head. Most of the time, we are our own fiercest critic. We speak down on ourselves and we compare our worst with people's best. We give up on the way with our self-limiting thoughts, or even not giving our all, because we do not want to admit that deep within, what we fear more is the possibility of achieving greatness. We shortchange ourselves by believing we're not up for it, and that good things only happen to others. In the end, we blame others for our victim mentality. Such a painful way to live.

I love Marianne Williamson's famous quote, she wrote;

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

It's time to we speak well of ourselves, meditate on goodness, edify our soul and see change happen. Reframing our words and thoughts is the first step to breakthrough.

Tenor

So along with the introduction of the Heartstrong Series, I'd like to introduce a new challenge!

Are you ready?

Tenor

I present to you the Encourage Myself Challenge. The purpose of this challenge is to encourage ourselves, speak well and remind ourselves of the good things in our lives and to turn our focus to what matters most, the core of our heart. The Good Book says,

Above all else, guard your heart, for from it flows the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23

Some days, life can hit you in the face when you least expect it, so when you feel low and in need of encouragement, instead of yearning and relying on others to fill in your heart tank, you can do it yourself, too. Just like King David in the Bible;

David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David strengthened and encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
1 Samuel 30:6

Our heart is like our personal yard, how we tend to it will show how it's being kept. To keep our heart healthy and strong, we sow thanksgiving, love, hope, faith, joy, peace and many more. We kill off weeds like bitterness, hatred, fear, anger, etc.

So, for this challenge all you have to do is;

• Write 2 to 5 things that you wish to encourage yourself with / things that encouraged you recently
• Tag me @alimamasstory and #encouragemyself so that I, too can be encouraged by your post
• Spread this goodness by tagging as many friends as you want to take up the challenge
• Upvote and Resteem this post so that it can reach a wider audience

Note: This is an ongoing challenge, you can challenge yourself to write and share whatever you find encouraging even every day if you'd like to. 😊

With this, I shall do the honor of making a headstart.

• I am thankful for my two little ones. Some days can be trying and exhausting, but I am taking it a day at a time. The days are long but the years are short, these, too shall pass. I want to enjoy and celebrate their growth and love for me.

• I am now working from home, and while it can be lonely at times, I don't have to feel like I'm missing out on life's action just because I don't work in a corporate office setting.

• I am so grateful to have known friends who love me enough to introduce such a great platform such a Steemit, I don't know what I can offer, but with what I have I would like to try and take that first step. This, is my first step.

Here's to spreading goodness! 💓
@iamjadeline
@elizacheng
@crosheille
@crowbarmama
@kaerpediem
@heartscally
@scottjeromeyao
@brighttux
@hooiyewlim
@happycrazycon
@viverridae
@metzli
@magicalmoonlight
@marrianewest
@jaynie
@khimgoh

Thanks for reading my post. I can't wait to start reading your awesome encouragements to yourselves. I believe when we encourage ourselves, we give courage not only to ourselves but also to others. The world is in need of love, by loving ourselves well we will also love better. Love begets love. Just like donut. Donut is love, too. 🍩😂

Tenor

art and flair courtesy of @PegasusPhysics