By Basia Alicia Powell
Over the years, I have discovered that it is a lot easier than most people think, to create the life you want. More than anything, it requires that you be brave and unapologetic about your dreams and happiness.
No one will hand you happiness on a platter. Anyone who is truly living the life of his or her dreams will tell you, not everyone was on board when the journey first began. People will bad mouth you. They will say, “You can call me anytime,” and they won’t answer the phone.
Why does this happen?
Honestly, it is not their responsibility to make your dreams come through or to make you happy. That’s on you. On the rare occasion, you would find one or two “ride or dies” who will stick with you until the end, no matter the outcome. If so, be sure to cherish them.
More than 90% of the people you hang around will not believe that you will succeed at your dream, if you share it with them from the conception stage. However, 100% of them will take some form of credit for your success in the end.
There is a reason that God gave you your own brain. You absolutely need to use it. He also gave you two eyes, to see and to look in front of you at all times. He could have put your eyes behind your head, but He did not. Your eyes are in front so you can keep looking forward. I am very intrigued by the fact that He gave us two eyes, two hands and two legs. My theory is, your vision is required to see your destination ahead. If one eye fails you, you have another. You cannot have a successful outcome without a clear vision. The two legs are to take you there. Sometimes you can walk to your required destination and other times, depending on the urgency, you need to run. So what’s the use of your two hands? Well, you need the two hands to run fast. You cannot run without your hands or with your hands by your side.
Therefore, when you have a brain that belongs to you alone, two eyes, two hands and two legs, you have no excuse. This is all you need to create the life you want.
If you allow people to stop you, that is your fault. We all came on this earth by ourselves, to live our own lives and we will leave by ourselves. A very smart gentleman reminded me recently, “THIS IS YOUR LIFE, SO DON’T LET NOBODY LIVE IT FOR YOU!” I remember when I was receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer, it dawned on me that nobody could take “chemo” for me. I had to do it all by myself. After that moment I decided that no one has the right to make me unhappy.
If your desire is to be truly happy, you cannot allow anybody to live your life for you. Happy people eventually have a lot of admirers. Everyone wants to be around them to get a piece of the positive energy. Nevertheless, the journey to happiness can be a very lonely one, because not everyone will agree with the choices you make to create the life you want.
It is important to remember that you don’t need their approval either, once you are an adult. At the end of the day, you can have the life of your dreams, once you are willing to take a chance on you and make bold decisions to ensure your lasting happiness.
Today, the ladies and I discussed the topic, “How To Create The Life You Want.” I am so grateful that our commentary panel included two leading psychologists, Mrs Dawn Townsend from Atlanta Georgia, USA amd Mrs Sanjoni Sethi from India. We were also joined by Mrs Maua Alleyne, from Tanzania and Trinidadian American , Dr Sydelle Ross.
Take a look at their bios:
Mrs. Dawn Townsend
We are also joined by American Dawn Townsend, MS, LPC, NCC, one of the leading Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Georgia and a National Certified Counselor. Dawn graduated with a 4.0 GPA from Mercer University obtaining a Master of Science in Community Counseling and graduated in the top 10 of her class, summa cum laude, from Spelman College receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. You can follow her on Instagram
Her knowledge is vast, having more than 15 years of clinical experience in working with children, adolescents, and adults from diverse populations. She currently works as the COO/Vice President of Hopeful Change, LLC, is a psychotherapist in a group practice, and the Clinical Compliance Specialist and Behavioral Assessment and Mental Health Evaluation Manager for a local mental health agency. When she is not hard at work serving in the capacity of a therapist, you will find her serving her family and our surrounding communities.
Dr. Sydelle Ross
We are also joined by another Trinidadian American, Dr Sydelle Ross, an Anesthesiologist and Pain Specialist, who currently practices palliative medicine. She is also a classically trained vocalist who uses music to care for patients living with life threatening illnesses. Dr Ross’s podcast “Prescription in Song” is dedicated to promoting awareness of healing potential of music and is available on Apple Podcast and Spotify. You can follow her on Instagramand on her website
Mrs. Maua Mosha Alleyne
I am again joined by Mrs. Maua Alleyne. Maua is Tanzanian. Like all the women who appear on this broadcast she wears multiple hats. She is a Public Health specialist who is currently serving as a Biostatistician at a pediatric hospital research department, She is also a African print designer who uses her passion for African print to change the narrative about Africa. Her work is available on YouTube under “MaAfriStyles”. You can follow her on Instagram
Mrs. Sanjoni Sethi
Sanjoni Sethi is a psychologist and mental health scholar. She has completed her Master’s Programme in Clinical Psychology (M.Sc Clinical Psychology) from Christ College, Bengaluru & Bachelors in Psychology Hons from Delhi University. Currently, she is an M.Phil Scholar studying Clinical Psychology. She has worked under a prestigious global banner of Amity. She was employed at Amity International School – Gurgaon as a School Counsellor. Sanjoni shows great interest in research in the area of mental health. She has worked with underprivileged children on topics of emotions and societal influence, and with elderly population on depression. Her research work is published in eminent journals from USA, and UGC approved publishers. She is the recipient of IJRULA award winner as the Best Revolutionist 2018 for her paper “Societal Influence on Emotional Competence”. She is also a certified First-Aid Trainer from “East West Rescue Organization” and has keen interest in helping the society. Sanjoni is also a trained and qualified Kathak Dancer (B.A. Kathak) from Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh. She is also deeply involved in writing for her mental health blog known as ‘TheMadnessforReal’ and painting. She is also married to famous Indian comedian Jeevesha Ahluwalia. You can follow her on Instagram
Follow Basia Powell
Leave a Reply