I’m Not Me

At least not the me I was in 2016. Every year that passes since my seperation, and later my divorce, things change for the better. I improve emotionally by learning something about myself and my experiences.

I look back at some of my past blog post and realize that I have been healing and growing. One of the major things that helped me was accepting the fact that I wasn’t ok. I was hurting. I felt guilt and regret. I wasn’t sure about the decisions I made. I was angry. I felt like a failure, and I didn’t see a bright future.

I was struggling, but I acknowledged it, and I knew that I HAD to heal. I took a break from dating, and focused a lot on my thoughts, dreams, and habits. One of the habits I started noticing was that I’d eat healthy and workout, but then sabotage myself by over indulging on junk food. This was not me. I mean, I studied holistic health and nutrition, AND I got certified as a personal trainer in 2015! What was I doing, and why? It was all in my head, and I’m still working on some of the left over pieces (think of the stubborn pieces of the wallpaper that just won’t come off), and it will take time, but I’m working on it.

On a positive side, I’ve learned my boundaries when I date. After I improved my state of mind, I met someone. It lasted five months, and I am sad it didn’t work, but I’m also proud of myself that I didn’t accept poor treatment. I learned what my boundaries are, and I won’t allow anyone to cross them. I know what I deserve and I know what I want. With this said, I’ve learned to date better. I just came out of this relationship, so I’m giving myself time to get over that. When I’m ready to date, I will be smarter about it. I heard a Youtuber put it perfectly, dating is about collecting data. Get to know a person well; their character; their upbringing, their beliefs; the relationships they have; their mental health; how they manage emotions, and their respect levels. These are so important to know before getting physical (unless that is what you want, then go for it). For me, though, I get attached, and getting physical only makes me think about a possible future before I even know if that person aligns with me emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. This is the question I will ask myself from now on, “do I want this a sexually led relationship or a partnership led relationship?” Collecting the data will allow me the time to decide if I feel the individual is right for me and will make a great life partner. In my opinion, when it’s sexually led (meaning, get physical first and talk later), your mind becomes skewed and red flags can easily get missed. Lust is a sneaky one.

Another positive that I have is my career and education. I’m working on my bachelor’s degree, and my career goals. One of the most important things I’m learning is to show what your talent is. Think of sports, no one pays attention to the athlete that does just enough to get by. No. People pay attention to the one that shines, that show’s their talents and their ability to carry the team to success. So for me, and you, we need to show our talents to succeed. A lot of us that have not been mentored, or grew up as a doer, really don’t understand that doing is not the same as showing. With this said, I’m developing my skills with a nanodegree in Business Analytics, and making myself more marketable by finishing my bachelor’s. However, it is what I reveal in my work that will really prove myself, and allow me to prosper. This doesn’t have to just be about your career in the workforce, it can be your hobbies that you would like to be successful with. You can’t show for something if you don’t work on it everyday. “Even if it’s one sentence a day” – something that I tell my fellow aspiring author friends.

I’m not the same me I was in 2016. I’m better, and I’m growing. I have goals for myself and my children. I want a better life for them, and I want them to see my perseverance and dedication in a difficult time.

I will continue to share updates as much as possible, so be patient with me as I continue to transition. I may not post a lot, but when I do post, I promise it will be honest.

What is very important here is to understand that your mind plays a large, very large, role in how your life is and how it will turn out. We have to learn how to build a healthy mind because it affects everything, including your health, relationships, and career.

I Promise You

I promise you that I will be faithful.

I promise you that I will be honest.

I promise you I will be respectful.

I promise you I will be trusting.

I promise you I will forever hold your heart.

I promise you I will heal your spirit.

I promise you I won’t hurt you again.

I promise you I will do better moving forward.

I promise you.

This isn’t promises to a man, this is a promise to me. Other than my children, I also need to promise myself these things.

I’ll explain why.

Many of us have found ourselves in the current positions we are in because we allowed somebody else to define our happiness, determine whether we have boundaries or not, and give us empty promises.

At the end of the day, we cannot control how someone treats us, but we can control ourselves.

I recently got out of a five month relationship. It had its good times, but we argued nearly every two weeks, and I don’t mean simple arguments, they would get ugly. Eventually it got to a point where there was a spike in stress and anxiety because our arguments got worse.

Three weeks ago I attempted to officially end it because his patience with me was limited. He was emotionally struggling, but I couldn’t step away from my work or my kids on his demand. I asked that he wait until I could get to him. Sadly, this turned into words that ultimately demeaned me.

Over these past few days, things took a turn for the worse and I told him I had enough. My boundaries had been crossed, and the drama was too much.

His excuse was that he wasn’t over what happened in his past relationship. His excuses were not enough for me to stay. Why? Because he didn’t respect my boundaries. He didn’t respect my time, and he didn’t respect my feelings. I became his punching bag he used to get revenge for his past relationship.

Luckily, I was able to finally get him to leave me alone, and I’m glad for that.

This was my worst breakup since my divorce. I’m heartbroken, but sometimes letting go, no matter how much it hurts, is needed. When a relationship affects your health, causes anxiety, and makes you feel worthless then it’s not for you.

No man or woman is worth your time if they cannot respect you, andcause you pain because of their past.

It’s hard, but don’t stay if it’s hurting you. I sure never will. I will never settle.

You Must Heal Before Moving Forward

You will never have peace in a new relationship until you find peace within your own life.

Healing takes time after a divorce or long-term relationship. Going into a new relationship before you have fully overcome your fears will only bring new problems, and more broken hearts.

When you’re in a bad place, every little detail will be a problem in your new relationship, even when it’s irrelevant. The status of any relationship is based off of where you’re currently at emotionally. If there are fears, anxiety, and resistance because of a past relationship than you are not ready for a new one.

It isn’t fair to the new partner to absorb your pain because they had nothing to do with your past. Your pain will then become their pain because you afflict it upon them. This may open a pandora’s box that may be difficult to come out of.

With this said, you must heal first before moving forward. If you have grudges, resentment, insecurities, fears, resistance, depression, sadness, or anything linked to a past relationship than you are not ready. A new relationship will not work out or will have problems if you are carrying this load of emotional baggage with you.

It takes courage to face your fears, and it takes even more courage to face them head on by yourself. It is the most liberating and freeing feeling when you release the emotional baggage.

On a side not, it is normal to be a little nervous about a new relationship, but only if it’s not coming from an old relationship. Happiness starts with you first.