Bruce Lee

I read this quote and it resonated with me for so many reasons. In the words of Bruce Lee:

“Don’t speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke. Your body doesn’t know the difference.

Words are energy and cast spells, that’s why it’s called spelling.

Change the way you speak about yourself and you can change your life.

What you’re not changing, you’re also choosing.”

For so many years I have allowed people to joke about me. Looking back, this has contributed to my lack of confidence. Those jokes have had an impact on my life. People joke(d) about me being weak, my health, mind, body, etc., and every time I act as if it is funny and go along with it. Even to this day, sometimes I bear the brunt of these jokes, however, I try to stave them off with a comment such as, “That is not funny” or “I am allowed to… .” Sometimes it causes them to apologize or stop and other times my boundaries are crossed and the joke is told anyways.

Bruce Lee was right, my body does not know the difference between jokes and reality. At the end of the day, I feel the same way, as if my feelings are not valid. The worst responses I get from people are, “I was just joking” or “You cannot take a joke.” A previous manager once told me, “There is some truth to every joke, so listen and pay attention to the ‘jokes’”.

The Bible says, words are powerful, they can be a blessing or a curse. Specifically, in the Holy Bible (KJV) James wrote in James 3:10, “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” Words are able to curse or bless the person that is speaking and others. I believe that when positivity and prosperity are spoken, then that is what will be received. I also believe negativity brings negativity. This is why it is so important for me to remember that Jesus Christ controls all things and that everything works out for my good. For that reason, I am able to speak positively even in the face of my enemies or troubles. This is another reminder not to speak negatively about others or their situations because I will be held accountable for the words in which I speak.

Prior to God telling me that I am worth it and a daughter of a King, I did not speak well of myself. I would sporadically speak positively of myself but I never felt good enough at anything. Then one day, it came to me to start this blog, and I did. It came to me to call it a journey of disencumbering my chains because I was entangled with so many different chains. I found that three of the biggest and heaviest chains I have started untangling are not being good enough, neglecting self-love, and lack of confidence.

I now realize that I am good enough and that learning is a part of the process but that does not mean that I am less. I now realize that by speaking positively and showing myself mercy and forgiveness, I am able to accept my imperfections. Those imperfections do not mean that I am defective or something is wrong with me, it just means that I am human and perfectly designed by the Lord God. I now realize that being able to admit who I am currently is a form of confidence and that I need to walk into who I am and who God has called me to be. I have spent years feeling less than for many reasons. But I am learning to reclaim who I am. This has changed my life in so many ways.

I now know that I am able to stand in the room and deserve a seat at any table. I know that I have a voice and that I can create an impact. While I spent that length of time sitting around feeling depressed, less, I realized that I was choosing to let others hurt me. The result was a less confident, shaken, scared version of who I was intended to be.

I am recovering my life and all that I let people steal from me! I am choosing to change my life and the way I and others talk about me. No more jokes, because my body does not know the difference. In the end, it all feels the same.