What if your biggest challenges could lead to your greatest growth? In this powerful season premiere of "Standing in Your Truth," I share my personal journey of navigating life's tough moments and the profound growth that followed. Inspired by the TV show SWAT, we'll explore the importance of a supportive inner circle and how to distinguish between friends, associates, and acquaintances. You'll hear firsthand how setting boundaries has helped me refine my support network to create healthier, more fulfilling relationships.
Stepping away from a prestigious job isn't easy, but sometimes it's necessary for mental and physical well-being. Join me as I open up about the emotional journey of leaving a toxic environment and embracing self-discovery and spiritual awakening. We'll reflect on the battle with ego, the significance of self-worth, and the power of genuine prayer and worship. To all those facing mental health challenges, I offer a heartfelt prayer and a reminder of your inherent value and God's unwavering love. This episode is filled with candid reflections and uplifting messages aimed at supporting your journey of growth and self-acceptance.
What if your biggest challenges could lead to your greatest growth? In this powerful season premiere of "Standing in Your Truth," I share my personal journey of navigating life's tough moments and the profound growth that followed. Inspired by the TV show SWAT, we'll explore the importance of a supportive inner circle and how to distinguish between friends, associates, and acquaintances. You'll hear firsthand how setting boundaries has helped me refine my support network to create healthier, more fulfilling relationships.
Stepping away from a prestigious job isn't easy, but sometimes it's necessary for mental and physical well-being. Join me as I open up about the emotional journey of leaving a toxic environment and embracing self-discovery and spiritual awakening. We'll reflect on the battle with ego, the significance of self-worth, and the power of genuine prayer and worship. To all those facing mental health challenges, I offer a heartfelt prayer and a reminder of your inherent value and God's unwavering love. This episode is filled with candid reflections and uplifting messages aimed at supporting your journey of growth and self-acceptance.
Hello everyone, welcome to Standing In your Truth podcast with your host, yanni. On this podcast you'll hear Yanni, family and friends having open-ended discussions on anything from faith, finances, relationships and how to stay motivated during life's trying times. Make sure to follow on all social media platforms. The social media link is in the bio. Sit back and get ready to enjoy.
Speaker 2:
Hello everyone, welcome to season three of Standing in your Truth podcast. I am your host, yanni. I had an energy drink from scooters, so that's why you got the little extra personality on the intro. But how are you guys doing? It's been a minute I don't think I recorded since, like February, took a little break and then life happened.
Speaker 2:
I don't even think I honestly meant to take a break. I just felt like life started to happen, um, and I think I felt like I went through some growing pains. Um, I feel like I've been stretched a little bit, um, even sifted a little bit. I've had to realize that some things for me had come to an end, like it was time to end certain errors, even though it's like I just got started, but all is well. But I think I'm definitely going to title this episode Growing Pains, because I don't think the idea of growing, when you think about it, sounds great, because that means you're're learning something new. You've learned something. You can maybe close a chapter, but it's that work that's put in to learn something new, to close the chapter that I think I've been going through for the last couple of months. So let's just get started.
Speaker 2:
First thing I want to say is if you guys haven't watched SWAT I know this sounds crazy, but if you haven't watched SWAT, I highly suggest you watch it. So that's been one of the shows these last couple of months that I've been binge watching. And to where I'm out there in floating clothes, washing dishes are just stuck on the couch because I feel like I've had a lot of mental health days here recently. But anyway, I've been watching SWAT and I could just say God's in the details, because you don't realize how he can use literally anything if your ear is tuned to him, to talk to you and to make you realize things. And one of the things for SWAT that kept hitting home for me was the idea of I want healthy relationships. If you watch SWAT, they always talk about how their family and they tell their secrets. They're deep in I want to say deep and dark, but like deep thoughts um to each other. And as I was watching it I was like I want someone to have my back, like I want a hondo. You got to watch the show to know who that is, but he's one of the main captains but you want someone like in your life that can like that. And don't get me wrong. Like you know, I have a boyfriend. I have Aaron. That's great and I know for sure he's in my corner.
Speaker 2:
But I feel like a lot of times I can say, especially for myself, you know, I say I had friends and I had to realize those friends really weren't friends. You know I've talked about friends before on this podcast, but I just want to just reiterate, like how important it is to have a healthy team around you, team that can check you, push you to grow, tell you you're doing something wrong, but at the same time, a team that you can open up to and say like, hey, I'm having a bad day or hey, these are my inner thoughts, without any judgment or without worrying about the idea of it one day coming back that you had these thoughts. Like, no one wants to live that life. Um, no one wants to have to worry about, you know, the person that you opened up to to just kind of, you know, go back and use that against you.
Speaker 2:
So that was one thing for me. That was a big deal and over the last couple of months I've dropped some more people. But I've had to also realize that I'm a very like. Once I meet you in my head. You're my friend. The idea sounds really good. As a grown adult, I really should know better, because adults be tripping and they all just about most times I shouldn't say all a good amount of them have alternative motives, like they're trying to use me for something or yeah well trying to use me for something, whether I realize it or not.
Speaker 2:
Like they're coming to me for something. Are they going to be something big or do they mean to use me? Maybe not, but it is what it is. So I have to realize that some people are your friends, some people are your associates and some people just are really nice and it's cool to talk to them and hang out with them. But you know, that's that. Some people just are really nice and it's cool to talk to them and hang out with them. But you know that's that.
Speaker 2:
And it's crazy to say that, like 33, turning 34 this year, that I really had to like step back and relearn that lesson. And then the importance of like guarding your heart. God gave me this heart for a reason. He definitely gave me one for the community to have the desire and the want and the passion and the drive to want to help this community. But I have to guard it because if I don't guard it, it gets to the point where I feel like here recently I got tired, but I think I got tired because I was getting used. And I feel like I was getting used because I wasn't guarding it and I was giving everyone, like all the help. If you called me, I would, you know, definitely help you, and don't get me wrong, I definitely will now to a certain degree. Um, but I have boundaries. So depending upon I can talk, depending upon what you're, you know, asking me for, it may be just me giving you a phone number versus me doing the leg work. It's something that you know I had to learn. But go watch SWAT and once you watch it, just let me know what you get out of it. Maybe the Lord will show you something different than what he's told me.
Speaker 2:
I took some time also off of social media again to digest that as well. If you haven't had a social media fast and you're feeling a little drained, take a second to step off of it. And then also, something I didn't think would bring me so much joy the people who don't line up with your path in life. Maybe they once did unfollow those people. Remove them off of your social media.
Speaker 2:
There's no reason why, you know, if you're not in the partying vibe or the partying life anymore, or maybe you're just not friends with someone anymore, I mean, unless I mean mentally. If it's, if you're okay with still looking at it, then obviously you can keep it. But if you feel some type of way when you look at these people, like you keep scrolling through it really fast, just don't follow them people. There's no reason why your timeline should be full of people you don't like, or they don't like you, or it doesn't bring you joy or peace. Bye. I didn't realize that was so much pleasure in that, but that was nice too. I've also started school again. If you've been on this podcast journey you know your girl has started, stopped, started, stopped. A lot of my family doesn't even know that I started school and I don't think that's even on purpose.
Speaker 2:
I think I just started it and, like Aaron knows, and a couple of my friends know, but I don't know, sometimes I think doing things and just doing them and not telling everyone, there's some peace in that. So, but I am going to Odessa College. They have a four-year degree in leadership and entrepreneurship, which is fun. This is my first week of class and I'm doing human relations, which is very ironic because I feel like that has been my struggle for the last man, like couple of months. I'll tell you the Lord man whenever you think he's not listening or he's not near, if your ear is tuned you'll realize that he's right there. He ain't left you. He may look a little different or how he's talking to you may look a little different this season, but he hasn't left you, he's still there. So anyway, in the first week of this class it doesn't seem too crazy. It's a five-week class. So there's, you know, nothing really going on there. And then let me see what else is new with me. I think I've slightly taken a step back in the community. Nothing crazy, I'm still involved, but just removed myself out of some unhealthy environments for me. I think as an adult. You kind of have to realize, not even as an adult, just a person in general. If you're a teenage listening to this, if you walk into a room, especially when you're not getting paid and you're volunteering, and it's just like either you leave feeling drained or your stomach feels a certain way or it's just doing too much to your mental health, it is okay to remove yourself. I know for me.
Speaker 2:
At first I didn't want to just because of my. I feel like the flesh, the ego. No one really wants to. If you get to a certain point you're like okay, I'm on the board, no one wants to. Well, at least I didn't. Anyway, I was like I don't want to step down from that. That was kind of like an accomplishment. I was like I'm going to see this through.
Speaker 2:
Then I had to check the flesh and the ego and I was like I'm going to see this through. Then I had to check the flesh and the ego and I was like sis, you're dying over here Now, why are you staying here again? And then I was like well, you know, this position allows me to help the community. Then I feel like the Holy Spirit was like again, girl, you have, this is not the only way that you can help the community. And I think once I have kind of had those two I guess you can say realizing those two things I was like wait, what am I doing? No, I don't have to do this, I don't have to be here and I, you know, remove myself from some of that which, removing yourself from a toxic environment, you don't realize. I think a lot of times you don't realize how toxic it is and how much it weighs on your body and your health, and you just feel really great afterwards and you're like I should have done this a long time ago.
Speaker 2:
So that's that, um, I just want to remind everyone that it's okay for not everyone to like you. Like I saw a quote on Instagram and you know what? Actually, I'm changing the title of this podcast episode. It is no longer going to be growing pains, it's going to be um, I know I'm not everyone's cup of tea, because I'm champagne. That was a good one. I know, like we have to be okay with not everyone liking us and I think that takes a journey, because I think you kind of have to process you and you have to know and fall in love with yourself and realize that no, I may not be perfect Yannianni's not perfect. I know I will never be perfect, but I love me and I accept me and I know that there is some days that I do some stuff and I'm like sis, the more hours you wake up, at the end of the day you gotta do that better. But at the end of the day, I'm me and I'm 100% me and I'm genuinely me and that's that. And I know that not everyone walking around here, as much as they think they can stand flat-footed and say that they cannot. So once again, I'm going to repeat it I am not everyone's cup of tea, because I am champagne, bow, bow, bow. If I had like like the sound effects, I would do like that Pew, pew, pew, pew, pew, pew. But you're going to get that version of that.
Speaker 2:
But that's pretty much my life update. Honestly, I'm just living life in school. Living life in school in a healthy relationship, have healthy relationship with my friends, diving deeper in my relationship with the Lord. And it's so crazy how, for the longest, I just thought the religion part of it was a big deal. Like you know, you go to church on Sunday, you go to church on Wednesday, um, you have to open your bible, like some of those things. Like I feel like I feel like that's kind of like their religion. But the relationship is like, um, taking those moments, um and praying, finding those praise and worship songs that the second you click on the TV, it's crazy how the song that comes on is like meant for you and being in that moment and not just praying, but like really talking to God and confessing like where you are and what you need and how much you love him and how much he means. That to me is the relationship. So, but yeah, that's pretty much where I'm at.
Speaker 2:
I feel like this is more of a rant than a podcast, but whatever, I'm definitely going to put it out. It goes back to that whole. I'm just going to do me. But if no one's told you guys today, you're loved, I love you. No one's perfect. I don't care what Instagram or Facebook or whatever tries to put out. No one's perfect. Everyone is struggling with something. You just have to realize that and don't expect yourself from everyone else either. That's what I'm most glad to realize. God made one of me and not everyone's built the same, which is fine, which is why I had to realize there's only one of me. Once I realized that, I was fine. That's that I am going to pray us out.
Speaker 2:
Heavenly fathers want to just start by just saying thank you, lord. Thank you for allowing us to see another day, lord, not only just see it, father. I pray that those are listening, or listening with the clear, sound mind, lord, in a healthy body, father, or listening with the clear, sound mind, lord, and a healthy body, father. I just pray, father, that as we go about our day, lord, that you will just allow us to have an appetite for you, father, to want you, to want more of you, lord, and for each person listening, lord, I pray they just dig into that and realize what that appetite means for them. Lord, and how they can feed that appetite, lord, whether that be praise and worship, music, lord, getting into your word, whatever it looks like for them. Lord, only you know. And them, father, I just pray for those that are struggling, lord, that may be contemplating suicide, struggling with mental health. Lord, just pray that you just realize, help them realize, lord, that they are yours, that you love them, that you have not forgotten them, that they matter, that they're one of a kind, that you allow them to wake up and see this day.
Speaker 2:
Lord, for a reason there's someone out there that needs to hear their story. Lord, I just say thank you, lord, thank you for allowing me to have this platform and to have listeners and to have people that Lord want to get to know you more. Father, I just pray for them in that journey. Lord, in Jesus' name, I pray Amen. But I just pray for them in that journey, lord, in Jesus' name, I pray Amen.
Speaker 2:
Hey, season three, we back All I got to say. But anyway, thank you guys for listening. I love you and have a beautiful day. Bye, wait, before I go, I have one thing to share. I just literally I have this spiritual inspiration on my facebook account and the scripture popped up and I just was like I have to share this. I don't know why, every time I go to record, my voice decides it wants to give out w and I'll have my voice. I will get this verse out, for he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. Psalms 91 11. Angels are assigned to you, miracles are coming your way, healing will be released. Something good is about to happen to you. On that note, I say goodbye and I love you. And guess what? So does Jesus.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for listening to another episode of Standing in your Truth with Yanni. And if no one told you today, you are loved, you are beautiful, you are needed and you matter. Be sure to follow on Facebook at Standing in your Truth Podcast with Yanni. Also on Instagram Talks with Yanni.
