Lessons from Grand Bahama Island

Everyone in the world is searching to fill a perceived emptiness. This emptiness is not clearly defined in our thinking because there is nothing in the world that will fill it. ACIM

Hello loveys

How are you?

It's been a hot minute since I checked in, it seems that the last few days flew by. I was in the Bahamas for an event and the schedule was packed, packed, packed

I had the absolute honour and pleasure to speak at the Rose Edition - The Power of Her Story 

12 absolutely fabulous women sharing their stories openly and authentically.

The power of it moved me

These are my lessons from the past few days on Grand Bahama Island

1. Go with the flow - The flights were delayed - like for hours - like for more than 5 hours. The schedule said I had to be at an event 2 hours after arrival - that did not happen and my worry did not make it happen either.

2. Be Present - I made a conscious decision to put the phone down when listening and speaking to people - huge difference being fully in the space you are in.

3. Learn to say no without guilt - sometimes the most loving response is no

4. Grand Bahama island is simply stunning! - and the lobster is so delish

5. Show up and be authentic - all the time!

6. Be grateful- for it all.

Peace

Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal

Follow Akosua on

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When You Believe Something, You have made it true for you

“When you believe something, you have made it true for you.”  When we try to hold opposing thought systems as both true, our mind becomes split, conflicted and confused. ACIM

What do you believe?

What do you believe about you?

What do you believe about the world?

What do you believe about YOUR world?

If you don't know what you believe, look at your actions, look at your life

Your actions and your life reflect your beliefs

and the beautiful thing about this is if you can acknowledge that then you are on your way to peace

If you acknowledge and accept that your beliefs are working, then you can enjoy the moment, you can take the gifts and lessons into a new adventure, you can share.

If you can acknowledge and accept that your beliefs are not working, you can make movements to replace those beliefs with ones that work. Not working means - you are not living a peaceful life.

Your beliefs are true for you. and therefore you will live from that space

What do you believe?

Peace

Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal

Follow Akosua on

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What Are Your Green Flags?

Everyone warns you about red flags in a relationship but I want to hear about green flags.What’s some green flags for you? - Boi McCoy

Here are some of the ones I dig:

1. Allowing silence - sitting in silence without feeling the need to full it up with chatter, music, small talk, noise

2. Going with the flow when things are seemingly out of control - bump up to a challenge - flow rather than fold

3. Putting down the toilet seat - yea I said that!

4. Being kind to people and animals

5. Being kind to children and babies

6. Self Belief even when the doubts come

7. Loving Nature

8. Loving Sports

9. Willingness to forgive, communicate and move on

10. Making Quality time just for us - without a phone

12. Have genuine friends

13. Makes time for rest and fun

14. Keeps it real - an authentic person - no performance masks

15. Practices gratitude and generosity

Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal

Follow Akosua on

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Instagram

Facebook

Celebrate the Small Wins

Take one step towards doing something you have been thinking about. Speak to yourself calmly, firmly. Do things that are in alignment with your thinking. Celebrate any little progress you make. Iyanla Vanzant

A friend and I were chatting about getting to our goals, how do we move to the next step, when do we know it's time to do something different. It dawned upon me then that many times we do not in any way celebrate our small wins, postponing it for a big win. It also dawned on me that many small wins can add up to a big win.

Celebrating the small wins makes the journey easier, makes it fun. Who can be serious all the time without feeling burnt out? The fun part gives us an impetus to move ahead with some more joy happiness in the mix.

I truly believe that celebrating the small victories is a part of the journey. Celebrate them and then get back down to work.

Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal

Follow Akosua on

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Instagram

Facebook

What's in A Name?

f you whisper your own name and picture what it means, you will rediscover your personal medicine - Jamie Sams

I have an unusual name for where I live. I live outside of the African continent and my name originated from Africa. At school I was teased about it, teachers and students struggled to pronounce it and the spelling was butchered time and time again. Added to that my second name was long and changed twice.

When I was in school I got into a couple of fights because of the teasing, after a while I withdrew and started using a nickname to avoid the drama. As fate would have it I was teased about my nick name as well.

As I grew up, I started making up stories that if my name is unique, then I must also be unique. That changed the game for me. I started embracing the name with more confidence and love. It changed the way I started saying it out loud

I also learnt about letting things go. If I got upset or ran around to everyone who teased me, misspelt my name and made fun of me it would have left me depleted and exhausted. I learnt to let it go, that helped in keeping calm. Calm in now my super power

I found my medicine!

Peace

Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal

Follow Akosua on

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You Will Be Presented With Lessons

"You will be presented with lessons. Life is a constant learning experience, which every day provides opportunities for you to learn more. These lessons are specific to you, and learning them 'is the key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and relevance of your own life'.There are no mistakes, only lessons. Your development towards wisdom is a process of experimentation, trial and error, so it's inevitable things will not always go to plan or turn out how you'd want. Compassion is the remedy for harsh judgement - of ourselves and others. Forgiveness is not only divine - it's also 'the act of erasing an emotional debt'. Behaving ethically, with integrity, and with humour - especially the ability to laugh at yourself and your own mishaps - are central to the perspective that 'mistakes' are simply lessons we must learn Lessons repeat until learned Learning does not end " Cherie Scott 

blessings are everywhere. I could embrace the deep truth that, “I have everything I need.” I may not have all that I want but how much do I want? And why do I want all "those" things? I’m not sure I’ve reflected upon that question long and hard. I wonder what I would discover about myself. I could wander into the rare air of truth – that life is but a very brief journey. Do I invest this precious gift of my life chasing after fleeting things or by treating each day and each experience as a new surprise? Anything can happen. I could dwell in faith: I am blessed. Many times, I am not sure what that means but how much do I need to have to realize my blessings? 
One whole day......

Peace

Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal

Follow Akosua on

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Discernment

memories are a dangerous thing to be in love with. i hope you learn to discern the difference between the love you have for someone, and the love you have for the moments you spent together. Billy Chapata

It's a challenge to change habits, to change a life, to change what we are used to. Many times we remember the fond times, the memories and tell ourselves that maybe just maybe we can have a moment like that again. We convince ourselves that maybe things will change, the situation will change, the person will change. And yes, sometimes that happens, and sometimes it does not happen.

The challenge happens when nothing changes, not even you!

Then the pleasant memories start becoming fleeting, they start being the exception, we continue to hang on to the hope and remember those times.

I have learnt that everyone is inherently a loving soul. Sometimes they don't know how to display it, or sometimes they have forgotten. People in our lives are all teachers and mirrors. When do we know to love someone from afar?

When we are uncomfortable to be our full, true authentic selves - there is never a need to "perform" for our loved ones

When we are afraid to grow around them - for fear of making them feel bad or small- having the freedom and support to grow is love

When we are not sure what their mood will be and act accordingly - communication is absent

When we are only remembering the good times to keep us from leaving

When we are making excuses, rationales, justification and reasons to stay where we are - even when no one asks

When we are thinking about leaving

When we are sad more times than happy

Trust that it's time to start discerning whether you are holding on to hope of the past becoming the present or just walking around in fear

Peace

Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal

Follow Akosua on

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

I choose

“I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime.” —Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

I choose

I choose peace over chaos & I’m proud of my choice

I choose spirituality over religion, &   I’m proud of my choice

I choose real over phony & I’m proud of my choice

I choose to dream more dreams than live in a nightmare & I’m proud of my choice

I choose to embrace real life over getting lost in a fantasy & I’m proud of my choice

I choose divine guidance over external validation & I’m proud of my choice

I choose courage over fear & I’m proud of my choice

I choose bake period.

I choose consistency & discipline over speed and fads & I’m proud of my choice

I choose to wait rather than settle & I’m proud of my choice

Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal

Follow Akosua on

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

It Takes A Village

A family is a patchwork of individuals tied together by heartstrings - Kav L'Noar

In everything I do, I am blessed and ever so grateful to have a village surrounding me. I have learnt that we cannot do everything alone, that there is a time and place for everything.

A time to give and a time to receive.

We have to learn when is the time for both and move accordingly.

The NiNa Programme is no different, the village of Pat and Avinash surround me making this journey so much richer and rewarding.

On 23rd July  2019, we have another opportunity to interact with young ladies who always show up and teach me about unconditional love, the power in respecting others and that non judgement has an impact on decisions made.

It is never an easy road hoping on the Journey however, knowing that there is a Village is worth the trip.

I Give Thanks

Peace

NiNa - WHAT IS IT?

• § NiNa is a programme targeting young ladies between the ages of 15 to 18 who reside at the St Jude’s Home for Girls. - A Care Home Operated by the State.

• § NiNa promotes mentorship with young ladies within the care system

• § Born out of a need to provide support to young ladies who are part of the care system through either being given up for adoption, through the court system or any other method.

• § Forerunner for the use of Entrepreneurship skills as an empowerment tool

• § A week long residential programme held annually with monthly mentorship activities

• § Transition space for young ladies leaving the care system at the age of eighteen (18)

• § A self-sustainable programme which can provide training and employment for young ladies in transition out of the care system

To support us, please contact us 

http://www.akosuadardaineedwards.com/contact-me

Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal

Follow Akosua on

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

First Thing to Remember Is

First thing to remember is... you ARE the one - Louise Hazel

My grandma said last night " be number one in your world, be your own hero, be your love" that resonated with me.

It resonated because so many times we look on the outside for our number one's, for the most important thing in our lives, and here it is, right there, we are the the ones we look for

It resonated with me because this thinking will not let me off the hook by looking outside of myself and blaming others for answers to the questions that I know

It resonated with me because it simply is the truth - it is the truth for all of us, we are the hero's in our own story. We are all the lead actors

Peace

Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal

Follow Akosua on

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

To Teach is To Demonstrate

If you don’t know where your boundaries are, let me show you mine - Emma Magenta

A Course in Miracles says to teach is to demonstrate. To teach is to show yourself and those around you by your actions, by what you do.

Many times we talk with no actions, we say we want to do something and make zero movements towards it.

Newsflash there are zero brownie points for only talking about what you want to do

It is a commendable first step, however the magic lies from the action beyond the talk.

Talking about it alone will not bring it about.

How many times have we talked ourselves out of doing a thing? How many times do we find reasons, rationales. justifications and excuses for not doing something that is a burning desire because of fear and that lovely place called the comfort zone?

How many times have we talked ourselves out rather than talk ourselves into?

Pay attention to when your self talk heads in the direction of talking yourself out of your deep seated desires because of fear.

Pay attention to it because when it is something that you really must do, or is called to do, the consequences later will be far greater.

Peace

Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal

Follow Akosua on

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Self Talk

The way you talk to yourself can really impact your confidence. The effect can be good or bad depending on whether your self-talk is positive or negative - Reach Out.Com

So I forgot the speech! I got on the stage, saw the crowd and froze, it was truly a moment, my mind started racing, I started thinking of scenarios to save myself.

Breathing was the first thing that came to mind

so I did that

I talked myself out of being disappointed that my very wonderful speech could not be delivered, how I wasted an entire two days, how I can bomb right here on this stage.

I pulled myself together and decided to just talk about what I know and relate it to the theme.

That seemed to work

So I learnt that the self talk in a tough situation is important, it guides us subconsciously to act. If the talk is positive and non judgemental, the results follow

If the self talk is judgemental and negative, the fear sets in!

So in the end, I spoke the gibberish for a few minutes then I spoke from the heart.

It turned out well!

Peace

Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal

Follow Akosua on

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

We Look Straight Into the Present

We look neither ahead nor backwards. We look straight into the present. And we give our trust to the experience we ask for now. ACIM

Today is the first of July, in this world order, the year is in its second part, second phase. I like to review where I am at the present moment. How I feel as I chart the way forward to end of the year. As I reflect upon it this moment I realised that my clarity in my intentions have brought me here. 

This morning I have the opportunity to deliver the motivational message at a company's 15th Anniversary Celebrations

Confessions on the Journey - I am nervous, it's a different type of company and they asked for a specific type of message. So it is totally out of my comfort zone of showing up and sharing some of my story. At the same time, I am excited because this is a manifestation of what happens when we get what we asked for with a clear intention and the proper support.

I locked myself away this weekend to prepare for this, and I am still nervous as hell! I know that to get the things that I asked for I have to develop the qualities required to roll it out.

Discipline

Courage

Self Belief

Release of Ego and Release of Judgement

to name a few

And if this is what it takes to be the best me, I am all for it.

This morning I intend to look straight into the present moment, to be fully in the mix so that I can learn while having fun.

Send me some good vibes, I need it!

Peace

Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal

Follow Akosua on

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Are You Playing Small?

negative self-talk is playing small.
giving into fear is playing small.
saying "i'll do it tomorrow" is playing small.
comparing yourself to another is playing small.
creating narratives of false impending dooms is playing small.
restricting your possibilities by perpetuating old cycles is playing small. Olivia Jade

Why do you play small?

Marianne Williamson says it is our greatness that scares us more than anything else.

To become "great" means becoming a great person. That means we cannot skip the process, we cannot skip the lessons.

My definition of greatness is living on purpose with purpose, living in peace and faith despite the challenges and situations we find ourselves in

The great ones, had to go through the process, to do the work

The discipline

The faith

The consistency

The patience

The self belief

The showing up

The questioning of the beliefs

The pissing people off

The self care

Not willing to any of those things?

Then you may just be playing small

Why?

You were born for a purpose no one else can fill

You are magnificent

Catch that

Peace

Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal

Follow Akosua on

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Blame or Responsibility?

Quite often we confuse accepting responsibility for bearing the blame - Iyanla Vanzant

Accepting responsibility leads to self acceptance, self discovery, self correction

Blame leads to looking for some punishment

Accepting responsibility  leads to choices, choices have consequences

Blame leads to punishment

Accepting responsibility leads to self evaluation

Blame leads to punishment

Accepting responsibility leads to lessons on the journey

Blame leads to pointing fingers and speaking about others

Which one would you choose?

Peace

Check out the We Lead PowHerful Conference - I will be there

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

Have you read any of Akosua's work?

What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Nyabo (Madam) - Why Are You Here?

Daily Lessons on the Journey - A Journal

Follow Akosua on

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

The A in Self Love

My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you I the best place for the next moment.

Oprah Winfrey

The A in self-love

What happens after you have reached a point of unconditional self love? does life just run smoothly? is there continual bliss? are all your problems magically solved?

Well i would say no

Unconditional self-love is not the answer to all

It really isn’t

Unconditional self-love offers hope

The hope for confidence to deal with the challenges one will inevitably face on this journey called life

Do not be fooled into thinking finding unconditional self-love is the ultimate fixer

What this love does is, it holds you accountable, it makes you more responsible and it leads to making more hopeful and loving decisions both for you and others

It does not give you a pass to be a jerk to others in the name of “i love myself”

It does not give you the reason to blame anyone or anything on “for the love”

Unconditional self-love is the foundation

Without a solid foundation everything all falls down

Accountability looks like owning your stuff

It looks like showing up

It looks like keeping your word

It looks like forgiveness

It looks like empathy and compassion

It looks like boundaries

Accountability leads to making better choices and decisions

There is no self-love without accountability and without accountability hope is lost

Here’s the thing, we get to the point of unconditional self-love and beyond by holding ourselves accountable, by holding others accountable

The a in love is accountability

Peace

https://welead.21qcaribbean.com/

The WeLead Caribbean Conference, happening in Guyana in September 2019