JanYouary: It's Okay Not to Be Okay, But It's Never Okay To Give Up On Yourself

It's with a sincere heart that I return to you after a brief hiatus, a testament to the juggling act of senior year.At the crossroads of student leadership, internships, and meaty agency projects, the art of balance becomes more than just a concept—it’s a daily practice. In this candid conversation, I extend my apology for the brief silence and invite you to walk with me through the peaks and valleys of personal growth. 

Shifting gears, we’ll reflect on the notion of destiny and the importance of embracing our roles with courage and tenacity. Together, we'll uncover the silver linings in life's trials and the importance of perseverance, not just for self-fulfillment but as an homage to the grand design that shapes our journey. 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:09

Hey guys and welcome back to that Girl Radio. It is your lovely host here, ricky Lee, also known as that Girl, and for today's episode of January, I want to first and foremost apologize for my absence. I am practicing being radically responsible and taking accountability this year and I set the promise that I was going to upload every day for the month of January and I missed three days, y'all. I was trying to reset and recalibrate and get myself back into a mode of productivity, and not only just productivity but also just being. I have so many responsibilities this year as a senior essentially, and this is my last semester and I'm just trying to wrap up things in the utmost beautiful way. I am still a student leader, I have an internship, I have like five group projects going on, so you can only imagine what that looks like. I'm also wrapping up a really exciting project for the Ricky Lee agency. I'm working with the biggest client I've worked with to date, and so that's taken a lot of creative stamina. And then, of course, I've been doing this January sprint. So please bear with me, give me grace, as I've been giving myself grace, but I also want to hold myself responsible and realize that I did set a goal and I still want to keep that. So, in light of that, I just want to let you guys know that it's okay not to be okay, it's okay to feel overwhelmed, it's okay to feel like your plate is full, but understand that to whom much is given, much is required, and so, with all of the requirements and the responsibilities that you hold, you must find balance, and so that is the perfect segue into today's topic, which is it's okay not to be okay, but it's never okay to give up.

Speaker 1: 1:57

Over the course of the last few days, I have had a numerous amounts of occurrences that have been nothing short of extreme inconveniences that would have previously put me into a frenzy, would have really upset me, knocked me off of my holy high road, but I have kept my peace, and that is something that is a true testament to the power of the inner workings that we've been doing here over the past 20 days. There is no way that me, as a very look, I couldn't even get it out I sound like Nicki Minaj. There is no way that me, as someone who has like a short I don't have a short fuse, but I can be easily irritated have learned to kind of brush off and roll off my shoulders the things that I cannot control. And I'll give you an example. Yesterday I set forth the intention to record my Sunday dinner process. But this was not any old Sunday dinner. I was meal prepping breakfast, lunch and dinner which is something I have never done before. I've normally prepped just dinner and then I'll have in mind what I'll have for lunch, and I'll typically pack that every morning. But I set the intention in my head that I was going to prep all three of these meals recorded and then make a really dope video, and I also had signed up for a workout class, so I had stacked my Sunday up with so many good stuff. Like I was excited.

Speaker 1: 3:40

While I was recording the process of me prepping my food, my phone decides to turn off and won't turn back on for like 30 minutes. I plug it into my computer and as I plug it into my computer, I see this warning sign that says that this iPhone, that your computer is detected, needs to be restored, and not just restored but restored to its factory settings. And I'm like what are you talking about? Like this phone is newer, like there's no reason why it should be glitching like this. Like I didn't even do anything. You know like what's going on. So I decide to do the reset. I do the reset and at this point I'm done cooking my dinner, like I had to just keep going forward and沒事. By that point I'm just like, well, there's no point in me like restarting or, you know, trying to Get back the content, because my phone was only backed up until two days prior, so it was backed up until January 19th.

Speaker 1: 4:39

My phone reset on January 21st. This was such an inconvenience. Guys like I really had high hopes for this piece of content, but God had other plans and I Just had to simmer down and realize that it was a missed opportunity. But there are plenty of more opportunities for me to make something of that sort of content. But the previous me would have really blown that out of proportion and allowed that to ruin. I wouldn't say my week, but probably the next couple of days. I would have harped on it for a really long time, I would have felt really unsettled and I would have felt like I missed my mark because I missed what I thought was a huge opportunity and I want you, as someone who is mostly probably like myself, to stop magnifying the little things, stop magnifying the little things that happen and are inconvenient and Allowing them to be greater than the God that we serve.

Speaker 1: 5:40

I don't know what's on the other side Exactly of my phone resetting I'm still not there yet and I feel like that'll be revealed in due time but I feel like it definitely shifted my perspective, because I am one. Whenever I do Good things for myself or things that I feel like to spectators would be nice, I'm quick to want to document that. But I think God is trying to push me into understanding that sometimes you do the good thing just to do the good thing and Because you're being obedient to me and everything doesn't have to be documented for others to see. Sometimes all you need is an audience of one, and I think that was the lesson in that inconvenience. But what I want to invite all of you to do is start paying attention to the little inconveniences in your life and Try to see what God is telling you.

Speaker 1: 6:33

I feel like in all of these little inconveniences in my life, the things that quickly anger me or Bring a little bit of higher temperament are things that God is trying to reveal to me as Small. They're really small when you think about it Like that shouldn't be something that you're magnifying on the day-to-day, that you're basically creating an idol out of. I really idolize Beauty. I Always keep myself up, I always have my lashes done, I like to keep my hair done, I like to keep my nails done and, for whatever reason, over the past few months and I'm like just now recognizing this over the past few months, guys, I have broken so many nails. Like it's an unnatural amount of times that I've broken my nails, and I think God is trying to remind me that You're perfect just how you are. You're perfect even in your imperfections. No one is worried about how Manicured and well put together you are.

Speaker 1: 7:36

I didn't tell you that that's how you needed to be received. And in these little inconveniences because today, guys, when I went to my cycle bar class, I went to use the restroom and, as I was unlocking the door, two of my nails broke and I just got them done like it's just, it's like it's weird how they keep breaking, but it's, I feel, like it's God trying to tell me that, hey, babe, you can still be received, you can still be loved, you can still be respected, you can still be seen In all of your glory, regardless of how your nails look, regardless of how your hair looks, regardless of how your outfit looks. You get ready for the day because that's what you choose to do, but what you really need to make sure that's ready is your spirit. What you really need to make sure that's ready is your mind, and so many of us are trying to Bandaid a deeper issue by you know, doing the meal prep and taking pictures of it and posting it online and like getting the likes on our stories. And I've been there, I've done it numerous times and I feel like that's the difference between the journey that I'm embarking on in 2024 versus the journey that I embarked on back in 2021.

Speaker 1: 8:57

The woman that I am becoming today has a far better understanding of what it looks like to overcome, what it looks like to pivot, because the changes that I made in 2021 were reflective of what I knew, what I knew. Becoming that girl looked like. Becoming that girl was like putting on a cloak of some sort, but at times I thought that I could take it off. But this version of me becoming the best version of myself, ricky 2024, understands that this is not something that I just put on and can take off. This is a mindset shift, this is a heart shift, this is a spiritual shift and that is something that requires rewiring everything. That's something that requires rebooting myself to my factory settings and consulting my Bible every morning and getting my daily bread and understanding my why.

Speaker 1: 10:07

And sometimes it's gonna be uncomfortable, sometimes you're not gonna feel well, sometimes you're not gonna feel okay. But the very first start to change is acknowledging that I have gotten to a point where all I can do is hope for better, because I know what it feels like to be at my worst and I never thought that I would have faced that point, especially since I had become what I thought was the best version of me. But it's in the moments that we're not okay. It's in the moments where God intervenes and he takes us off of our path and he starts to just show and reveal to us all of the things that are wrong the broken nails, the rebooting of the phone, the popping of tires. Like you're just like what is going on, god, like what are you trying to tell me? But he's trying to warn you and let you know that there is a shift on the way, there is a realignment on the way and it's gonna be uncomfortable, it's going to feel like everything around you is insane.

Speaker 1: 11:12

But you can't give up on yourself, because when you give up on your purpose, it's kind of like you're giving up on God. When you give up on your daily assignment, you're giving up on God, and so all you have to do to show him that you're faithful and that you're a believer is to continue to do it anyway. I'm creating today and I'm gonna create tomorrow anyway, regardless of what these nails look like, because I'm being obedient and I'm being radically responsible for the outcomes that I want in my life. It's no one else's fault, it's not the door's fault that my nails broke, it's not the nail technicians, it's mine. And at the end of the day, I still have to show up and take up space and do what I was called to do, regardless of what it looks like, regardless of what it feels like, because God is reminding me that I will be well received, regardless of what state that I'm in, so long as I am a woman of progress daily. That is a testament to my faith. That is a testament to my faithfulness and my obedience, and at this point in my life, I want to hold a posture of a radically obedient woman. I'd want to do nothing that is outside of his will, because when I do, the little minor inconveniences get so much bigger. Like everything around you seems like it's just falling apart and you're like why? And it's like oh, I have not talked to the big GOD in a long time. Let me go talk to him and see what's going on and what he's got cracking for chapter two. So this is only chapter one of book 2024.

Speaker 1: 12:58

And so many of us have made such magnificent strides towards the woman of our dreams and just imagine what chapter two will look like, what chapter three will look like, what chapter four will look like. Especially when you are obedient and you just play your role. All God is asking you to do is play your role, regardless of how you feel today, regardless of how you feel tomorrow. The plot goes on, just as I had to keep finishing my meal prep and my phone was literally being reset. Like the plot is going to move on with or without you. This is your life. You're the main character. So what type of role do you want to play in that? Are you going to allow yourself to become the antagonist? Are you going to continue to be the protagonist and lead yourself to better story outcomes. Lead yourself to better storylines.

Speaker 1: 13:53

Like so, many of us are being upset that we keep reliving the same things month after month, year after year, but you're not allowing God to use you and the things that are happening around you to change you, to shift your heart, to shift your mind, to shift your body and your spirit, and you're not. If you're not feeling well, it's because you're not well and there's something that God is trying to reveal to you and tell you that, babe, you've got to fix it. Even if it isn't physical, even if it's mental, there's something that we've got to address. And when you allow Him to use those circumstances as a way to reveal to you the blessings he has to come in your life I mean, just imagine the testimonies that you've heard of how God used some of the most hurtful and painful things in people's lives as a means to be able to help thousands, including yourself.

Speaker 1: 14:54

I know there are plenty of people who I have heard about with PCOS that God used in the most magnificent ways. I mean, their symptoms are far worse than my own, but because of their experiences and them having to manage those. They're able to give me tips and tricks on how to manage my very own symptoms. I love them, my very own symptoms, and so what I want you to do is realize that you're not always going to be okay. I mean, this wouldn't be Earth if it was supposed to be like heaven. You get what I'm saying. Like there are going to be growing pains, there's going to be circumstances that you don't want to deal with. There's going to be times where you just want to give up, but you can't give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you're giving up on God, and who wants to do that? So stick it through, my love. Like there's something greener on the other side.

Speaker 1: 15:52

And, like I said, I don't know why he reset my phone yesterday. I'm still trying to figure it out. It's only been two days but I promise you there's a lesson in somewhere in there and when it's revealed to me, I'll come back to you guys. But I promise you, in every instance where something has not gone my way, it just didn't really feel like it made sense. It made sense sooner rather than later, and I had to do nothing but praise him and thank him because he used me or used that situation to change me.

Speaker 1: 16:32

So I love you guys and I really do hope you enjoyed today's episode. It was a quick one, but make sure to follow us on Instagram at that girl radio, if you're not already, and to follow your lovely host here, ricky Lee, on Instagram at Ricky Leeco. I'm also on TikTok at the Ricky Lee, and if you guys haven't left a rating for the podcast, make sure to do so. It helps us a lot so that we can reach more women like you and help them design their best life. I love you guys and I'll catch you again tomorrow.