Her mind is blank, but if these walls could talk for her, only then might you fathom the extent of her suffering. In the dead of night, they watch as she wakes gasping for air as if a cinder block has come crashing down onto her chest. While on solid ground she’s falling, losing her grip by the second, slipping farther while her aching fingertips are desperately trying to hold on.
Wandering aimlessly, she hasn’t a clue what she’s searching for. She’s trapped in a mirror maze of pure nothingness, accompanied only by several of her own helpless reflections staring back at her. She scours every corner, but amidst the flashing lights she’s lost all sense of direction.
The walls of this glass box she’s in cave, and through the thickening air she screams, yet nobody can hear her. All that’s on the tip of her tongue is the saltiness of her tears. She’s tormented by the the deafening silence inside her head.
What a beautiful tragedy it is for a writer’s heart to carve its own wounds. She lies awake on nights like these, tossing and turning, listening for distant murmurs. The closer they get, the clearer they sound and she can begin to slowly stitch her heart back together.
She remains restless until her heart is woven by the strings of all the words she’s for so long been trying to find. The mere presence of a single thought reinvigorates her entire being. At last she can breathe again.
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As this final day of August was nearing, I feared I had nothing to say. I was experiencing the most intensely horrifying feeling any writer could have: writer’s block. I always thought there was no feasible way to put in to words the feeling of not knowing what to write about, as someone it should come so easily to. But, I thought, what if there was? And so, as I lay restless in bed one late night, I typed a list of words to describe all that I was feeling: panic, confusion, frustration, and so on. In doing so, suddenly my mind was filled with constellations of letters forming all the right words to give you this melodramatic tale.
This article is a collaboration with Erica Adugwo, my friend and fellow Houstonian who is a certified transformational life and leadership coach. To differentiate our insights, each section includes the initial of the respective contributor.
If you’ve been following my blog for some time, then you know about my fascination with manifestation. This is the idea that we have the power to transform our thoughts into reality, positively and even negatively. I live by this philosophy, which motivates me to approach each day with optimism. I think that there is meaning in everything, so when I stumbled upon quotes that share a common message I knew it was no coincidence. With the help of words from various philosophers and writers, we will be discussing the power of believing. — F
The concept for this article came when I found the first quote by author Neville Goddard. I had been feeling discouraged due to not yet having reached my goals as far as views on this blog, and his words made me come to a realization. I cannot expect something to come to fruition simply because I want it. I have to believe in my potential and the possibility of what’s meant for me. Author Jack Canfield’s quote from Rhonda Byrne’s novel The Secret, offered me a different perspective. I can manifest anything I want, only if I believe. That is why I will continue to approach life with a positive attitude. I no longer define my blog’s success in numbers because I have the belief that the best is yet to come. — F
I believe in a benevolent Universe. I am inspired to always see the good, even in the bad. This does not mean I won’t experience hard times, but I know that everything ends up working out for my own good. It was my near-death experience thatmade me realize we are always being guided in the right direction to our destiny. As Goddard explained, we attract what we believe to be true, so if I believe in a benevolent Universe, then I can experience a life where despite trials and difficulties, a sense of joy, peace and fulfillment can still be found. Just as Canfield stated, we first have to decide what we want for ourselves. I believed I deserved to be healthy and that it was possible for me. If I could have it, then it is possible for another. Whatever it is, you must believe. — E
Belief is a mindset, a state of acceptance. Gandhi describes how just the mere belief that you can achieve something will give you the ability to do so. When you learn to acknowledge your own capabilities, you can accomplish anything you set your heart on; the very title of my blog supports this philosophy. To “Faith It ‘til You Make It” is to believe in one’s self, to carry confidence and optimism enough to reach your own idea of success. The effectiveness of both manifesting and praying depends on one key element: intention. In manifesting you might create affirmations, or encouraging statements, to repeat to one’s self that will help you focus on your desired outcome. Praying should be perpetual, with strong conviction and a clear purpose. You must believe that what’s meant for you is waiting for you because the Universe holds our fate. You must believe that in God’s time, prayers will be answered. It’s not as simple as asking for and immediately obtaining whatever you want. However you seek guidance, you can not expect results without patience, sustained faith, and sincere intentions. — F
Belief is powerful, when you believe in the power of your word and in God’s word anything is possible. I have learned that in the process of holding on to certain beliefs I might make mistakes, but if my beliefs match my everyday actions and my spiritual practice, then I am being congruent. If I believe that every action I take no matter how small will lead me to something bigger than myself, then I am on the right path. Say what you believe and believe what you say. Let your words and your actions align, and when you speak something into existence eventually it will take form as your reality. If someone says “I am poor, sick, weak”, their situation will remain so because our thoughts control our feelings and experiences. We must eliminate limiting beliefs that hinder our perception of the world around us. A higher sense of truth will transform into a greater reality, the reality you accept is what will manifest. — E
When we make the choice to believe something, we can either feel uplifted and inspired, or drained and disempowered. So the question we must ask ourselves is, “What do I choose to believe about myself, my neighbors, and the world in general?”. A belief is the individual truth of man. We can not change what may happen to us, but we can choose our attitude towards any given circumstance. This idea was originally provided by Viktor Frankel, whose exact point I brought up two years ago in my very first blog post. There is no denying the simple truth that our thoughts have an impact on our experiences, this is the Law of Attraction. So while manifestation is highly disregarded as nothing more than a fad, I stand firm in my belief of its magic. The wonderful things in life are ever-present, you just have to believe it to see it. — E & F
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I have been intrigued by philosophy for many years now, so getting to discuss manifestation was exciting! As a life coach, Erica posts analyses on life and mentality as well as motivational quotes on her social media. One day I had stumbled upon her Instagram page and one of her posts read “Faith it until you make it”. This was just months after I had started this blog site, and I let her know this. Soon after I learned that we are both from Houston! Her account is one of my favorite pages to find positivity and words of encouragement. If you want to check out her content yourself, visit her Instagram @/erica.k.inc or Twitter @/KellechieSpeaks. Thanks again to Erica for providing her insights for my blog!
》 Faith It ‘til You Make It 《 