It appears to me that time seems to go faster every year. New years resolutions become the same resolutions that you have the year before and sometimes the small steps to achieve goals just never seem big enough or; maybe they are and that is a great thing if you have your happiness and you are jammin’ on all things life. It seems to me that lately I have more wrinkles around my eyes every time I look in the mirror and that is enough to tell me that life is short, so… wear sunscreen and of course, play hard!
I have often struggled to move forward despite appearing like I am achieving things and I still don’t always feel like I am actually getting anywhere. Sometimes it seems like the old ‘stuff’ in the closet wants to just eat you up and devour you where you stand, that is of course if you can stand at all. Maybe its just that you are just plain old worn out. Life is hard, let’s face it. The world is crazy and chaotic. Sometimes, all you have time and energy for is to deal with today, and what’s happening around you, which is totally fine too. Living in the moment is an art, and to appreciate those moments in life is crucial. Time can be consuming when there are more things to do in a day than there are hours.
We must make time to look forward… to set goals, to make plans all the while appreciating and living in the moment. It’s easy to revert to old habits of coping, of masking and covering the pain rather than to face your fears and allow yourself the opportunity to actually move forward. Living in the moment and being consumed by the moments are two different things. Choose not to be consumed by the moments but live them!
I was reminded recently just how small we are, as I look over the expanse of the great ocean, I know I am but a speck on the horizon… a grain of sand… a cork bobbing on a sea of turbulence, or calm, or sometimes drowning as waves crash over you… it’s easy to feel small; to feel like you don’t matter. Sometimes allowing life and the things of the world to consume you is just another excuse or reason for that dream you have to slip past you- I have done this time and time again. Why? Honestly, I just never felt truly worthy of success, I have had to work very hard on myself to understand the value I have and what I can offer to others.

(Agnes Waters- Near my Home Town-My own Image (Kelly Humphries Photography))
It is easy to just sometimes ignore the niggling inside you to pursue that passion, that ‘thing’ that calls you. It is not hard to set it aside in favour of old patterns, old habits and old ways of thinking, because a new way can seem overwhelming, hard, and just too difficult in the world where you may feel like you are that cork on the sea of your own fear…
I know it sounds a bit gloomy, but what you have to realise is that in your own special uniqueness, you are the only person who has your dream, and can do it your own unique way. You are only as big as your thinking allows you to be. If you think you are small and insignificant, then you will be. If you believe that you can do something to change the world, then you will.
Just because you are small, does not mean that you don’t have great potential, or the ability to make great change in a world that is screaming for great leaders. Even the smallest people can make the biggest difference! You only have to look at those who are humble, and lived their passion to know that one person can indeed change the world. I look at incredible female leaders like Mother Teresa (who was a very tiny woman at 5ft), she said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” She would ultimately be the single most famous woman in the world- besides Oprah Winfrey. Let me ask you- what is the ripple that you want to create?
I have always loved Joan of Arc, a Martyr, Saint and Military leader famous for leading the French to Victory in a 100 year war in the 14th century, she said, “I am not afraid, I was born to do this.” She was only 18 and rumoured to be just over 5ft tall, again very small, but big in heart and understood what she was born to do. A female leader in a time that was certainly not a time where women were seen as equals. So, I ask you; what were you born to do?
Is what you have planned for this year going to take you towards your goals, your dream and your passion? Are the people in your circle the kinds of people that will love and support you? Are your friends the kinds of friends that will stand by you and encourage you?
I am making a commitment to myself this year in 2016, and that is that I will not compromise on the vision I have in my heart to achieve the things that I believe are set before me. I have allowed others to compromise and I have compromised myself with poor thinking, and letting the negative thoughts of ‘not being big enough’, ‘feeling insignificant and incapable’, ‘not good enough’, to rob me from what I know I was born to do. What are you not willing to compromise?
Too many fall short of their potential because they allow their thinking and the voices of doubt to steal their passion for what they believe they are called to do. I know I have wavered many times, because I have allowed those voices to break my determination and vision. Do not allow old thinking and the chaos of the world to take you away from what you are called to do. One person can make a huge difference. What legacy do you want to leave? Who are you going to be? How are you going to create a ripple effect? Do the people in your life encourage and lift you up?
Do yourself a favour this year… don’t compromise on your dreams. Don’t give in to your fears. Understand that you were born for more! Know your importance, whether the steps you take are tiny, or you are taking great leaps towards a better and greater you; just keep taking steps. Do not allow your thinking to rob you from the joy of the pursuit towards your true self and achieving your dreams.
Bless you and your family this year as you embrace 2016. Together, let’s create lots of powerful positive ripples across the world.
Much Love! xo Kel

(Hot Mud Pools of New Zealand- I would love to believe that the ripples I create would be ripples that would turn into great waves, and leave a lasting impression. Photograph- Kelly Humphries Photography)