IN ITS OWN TIME 🌻

Tampa, 2022

In the Bible, Ecclesiastes 3 : 11 states, "He has made every thing beautiful in its time." A 1997 Indigo girls song more simply states, "Everything in its own time" (and that's the name of the song, too). 

What I take away from these similar sentiments is that, by definition, your time cannot be dictated by anyone else's timing. Your life, your path, your journey, and your joy are singularly your own. Everything that is yours will be made beautiful in your own time. 

Don't dwell on someone else's life, and don't let someone else control yours. Instead, rest assured that your completion will come when you are ready for it. In its own time. 

There are a million ways to do everything. Do things how you want to do them. Do things that ignite your sense of joy; do things because they make you happy or curious. 

I always boldly think and say to myself everyday, "No, I don't have a ton of experience or a wealthy family with a fancy last name or even resume full of accomplishments. But I have grit, and I have ideas, and I am excited to do good job at something I know I could excel at. I have learnt over those few years a lot about my worth. I am who I say I am. I am who God says I am. I am not who you want me to be, board president who wants me to fit a well-to-do mold. I am not who you want me to be, HRD chief who wants me to stay small. 

No. Now watch me be the girl for all things I do in my life. 

Maybe sometimes I might not have been the most qualified, but I always know in my heart that I would always excel, that I could bring creative ideas to the table, that I could cultivate a great culture between staff, instructors, managers and board members and that I would work harder than anyone. I have also learned about integrity—how vital it is to have integrity as a leader and as a person. To be a woman of your word. 

It may not be easy to get where you want to go, but if you dare to do the work, cull the clutter, and to commit to the best, favorite, and necessary, that life you love can be yours. 

Be willing to discern the essential from the nonessential and to boldly and unapologetically care for your heart, body, and soul along the way. As Greg McKeown says, "You must protect the asset." And you, my lovely friends, are the asset. 

I always believe that succesful people possess a certain scrappiness, a willingness to roll up their sleeves and do the work, to think outside the box, and to problem-solve with constant forward motion. This is also the mindset of an underdog; someone who is believed to be less than she actually is, who is predicted not to win. And this scrappiness is the secret sauce—to the success of simplified and to the success of many others. Go always puts a firm resolve in my heart that day too—that I would fight for my dreams and be kind. Always. 

You can say hurtful things to me. You can judge me for the goals I am working towards. But I will not let you bring me down. I don't belong to you. And your opinion of me matters very little. Now watch me. 

I would say that's fine if you don't want me to sit with you, if you want to be a crtic who doesn't understand what I am doing. Your opinion doesn't affect me or my dreams. I'll build my own group, my own table, and fill it with humans who are kind. And here's the best part: I'll save you a seat for when your're ready to join us. Because I know that hurt people hurt people. And my table has a seat for everyone. 

I mentioned before about underdog. Underdogs are scrappy. Good underdogs are also full of integrity. The best underdogs give those coming up behind them up a boost. They pull up a chair for both the big dogs and the underdogs at their table. They make their circles and spaces better because of the goodness they bring to them through the fight. 

You may not feel like you have everything you need to build the life you love, whatever the life might be. You may not have enough money, enough support, enough time, or enough resources. I challenge you to quiet your heart for a moment and question every single one of those reasons to seek out the glimmer of opportunity that lives on the other side. 

I know you're probably tired, overwhelmed, and unsure. 

But you're reading my blog, which means you have a dream. 😍

Be encouraged! I am proof that you could build something out of next to nothing, even if you feel ill-equipped, even if you're afraid, even if you feel alone or foolish at times. Yes, you can build a life you love. But you must be bold enough to do it. You have to look your challenges and excuses and your critics in the face and tell them to sit down. You may not be the most talented, you may not have the most money, you may not feel the most confident. But if you're the hardest worker in the room, nothing can stop you. 

PS: I'm in your corner. Seriously. Even if everyone in your life is telling you you're crazy and that your dream is too big and too scary and too expensive and will take too long, you've got me! I was told all those things too—call me and my sisters are just from kampung aka village. I sometimes even believed some of them. But if you've got enough spirit and fight in you, you've got what you need. Fight hard. Build the table of your dreams. Make space for everyone. 

A few years ago I had some unpleasant situations and how easy people surround me could judge me like they were already angels not even a sinner. 

Suck them up. 😈

How have others' expectations defined your life? Are there expectations you'd like to break free from to embrace a more authentic version of yourself? Have you allowed others to make decisions for you? 

I want to encourage you to venture off the path you're on if you're feeling stuck, especially if you've never deviated before. 

It's an exciting place to be. Simplified, to finding my true calling as a person, no one could have made that decision for me. I had to decide there was something there, something I wanted. I had to go for it. 

It was the choice of a woman who was dipping her toe into bravery, trusting God, and her gut to lead her down the path to her own wild, creative, bold calling. 

Love, 

Elista