Looking Ahead for Jenn

Edition Fifteen- Week Fifteen:

Written By: Jenn Drakes

The past, the present, and the future. So many people spend time living in the past. In prior articles, you spent time with my history as I shared my childhood challenges and how they shaped the person I am today. I gave insights into my journey for healing, forgiveness, and moving beyond my past hurts, disappointments, and internal scars – my SHITES. I encourage you to read those previous articles to at least know what SHITES are all about. If your life has been filled with hard lessons and experiences, my saying that in the overall scheme of things, it doesn’t matter, might come across harshly. To be harsh is not my intent, and learning that was a hard lesson. At least until I actually let go of my victim mindset and transformed to move beyond my past. Listen to the Arrays of Living “Let IT Go” podcast episode to gain more insights. Letting go means understanding that the past holds our experiences and learnings. The present is where we exist to use those learnings to drive more experiences. Our life experiences should be directed at the future we strive to achieve. All our experiences are done for us. Living occurs in the present, and my Divintastical Living™ movement is about becoming the artisan of one’s life in a quest to fully and unapologetically live it without harming ourselves or others. In this article, let’s instead take a moment to look into the future. What new things do we want to see and do?

When we associate ourselves with the future, what we see will depend on many things. The first of which is our state of mind. Will we apply optimism, cynicism, or pessimism to the future we see for ourselves?

Positivity in life is all about having optimistic points of view. They represent hopefulness, looking upward. While negativity can lead to pessimistic viewpoints that represent hopelessness, looking downward. The cynic sits in the middle of those extremes, neither looking up nor down. They carry distrust and suspicion with them. In recent years, the optimistic-cynic (Op-Cyn) has emerged as a valid point of view one can take – distrusting of people and outcomes, yet hopeful for certain circumstances to go well. In between the cynic and the pessimist is the cynical-pessimist (Cyn-Pess) point of view that applies scorn and disdain to aspirations, including their own. Where each of us sits on the overall spectrum is rather crucial because it reveals to what degree we know, support, and champion our dreams. 

Optimism is where I choose to reside. Notice, where you land is a choice. Despite suggestions that the world is on a path to destruction, optimistically, we can self-correct. Yes, each of us has a part to play in that correction. It involves a change in how we see ourselves and each other. If we cannot see and speak highly of ourselves, we cannot see and say the same of others. This also applies to our environments.  Suppose our collective thoughts drive the state of the world. In that case, the more positive and harmonious they are, the less we spill cancerous energy into the world. The greatest gift COVID gave us was time to reflect on how we live our lives and to what degree we are satisfied. COVID allowed us to reset and redirect our energies differently. The resounding response to that introspection was that many in the workforce shifted the time and money saved from daily commuting and gas into exploring new possibilities for themselves.

My pivot had already started when COVID came around, and I could move more quickly just by time efficiency gains. My future has become more evident in year 3 of this new journey. It is more apparent because I am now accepting of myself. Don’t get me wrong; I always liked Jenn, the person. I knew I was a good and caring person, despite the many unpleasant and uncaring things I experienced. That thoughtful person is a product of all my good and bad experiences, and I’m grateful. Yet, I spent a long time feeling less than. I spent a long time feeling weird and uncomfortable in my skin. I spent a long time rejecting the best part of myself, including my gifts of speaking, writing, and influencing changed perspectives. It took a friend or two to get my attention that in changing people’s point of view, I was changing and empowering their lives. They contributed towards waking me up. In the future, I aim to step fully into my spotlight by applying my gifts from a frame of acceptance. I will continue to choose growth for myself and continue my work in helping others to grow. In the future, I will be aware and proud of the outcomes achieved in my service to others. I intend to carry forward to others the awakening gift I received. I no longer need others to show me my worth. This future I see has certainty because the transformation has already started. 

I’m no oracle, yet the future, from my perspective, is about a greater consciousness arising in people. It started for me a minimum of 5 years ago. COVID fueled it for many, continuing amidst political unrest, inflation, and recession. It will be stronger than ever in this new world we are in. Such times will require conscientious people focused on righting the wrongs that currently affect our humanity, climate, and communities. New things will continue to be born related to technology, services, business, and livelihoods. The future will move from “me – leaching” viewpoints to “community” viewpoints. For communities to flourish, each of us must function at optimal levels. It means hands will be outstretched to help others, and doing that demands the best of each of us to serve those that cannot serve themselves. I want to see more of us awakening to take a stance for ourselves that makes us less susceptible to the illusion of truth effects that plague us every day. That requires us to see our situations, behaviors, and interactions for what they are and to step into making decisions rather than excuses.

A simple first-step example is when I refuse to look at or listen to media programs that tend to play on wall display screens in waiting rooms. Instead, I do puzzles, read, listen to mindfulness recordings, and even “people watch” with headsets to block out the brain-numbing replays on those devices. What decisions can you make to define your personal space? Or to craft the future you want for yourself? Another example I used in my Aladdin Carpets book was deciding to get up earlier to avoid rush hour traffic – something I dislike. Yes, I would arrive earlier than most, but I would get time to relax and settle into the right mindset. I would take advantage of the quiet space to get a lot of work done before others arrive with their flavors of distraction. 

We know what we need to cope better, live better, and thrive in better ways toward being a better version of ourselves. We need to believe we can attain those things by deciding to aim for those things, and most times, that means choosing ourselves and trying new ways. Selecting from a range of options and holding accountability for our decisions is essential to make vital realizations in our world’s future. The new currency is being informed, really informed, and having stellar skill sets. Getting informed stems from seeing recurring trends and patterns in your focus, yet noticing you keep pushing them aside and dismissing them. What if you didn’t? What if you instead decided to evaluate, explore, and gain an understanding of what you see and what may need more clarification? What if you seek meaning in what you see? If your current ways are not working or not taking you where you wish to go, why not opt for doing things differently?

A straightforward decision to reset differently might be to curb being guided by sensational mainstream news and instead seek other stimulus and guidance from quality sources such as Manual Magazine and myself. I know it’s hard to determine who has your back in this world but start by exploring where positivity and good vibes are consistently coming from. I am never trying to tell you how to think. Instead, I aim to provide alternative ways to look at things sufficiently to stimulate conversations and points of view. There are many good-intentioned souls around if you decide to place your focus on seeing them.

Being optimistic and embracing change means I see a lot of upside in the future. Will there be tough times – hell, YES! Isn’t that life? More challenging times will be with those that did not or could not prepare. Right now, a segment of society has no access to modern technology. With the way technology is moving and considering the pace with which it is moving, this segment of society is hugely disadvantaged unless something fundamentally changes to equalize its current state better. Where in mainstream news are you hearing about this significant divide? Yet it exists and is a real community issue. How can the knowledge gap be bridged? This is one example, and there are many others.

When I speak of coming into a greater consciousness, I think of all these barriers to opportunity that get overshadowed by less important stories. If our collective thoughts can change the world, we should channel our thoughts toward what matters, and we have the power to steer it in the right direction. Together, we can be the light and the hope for something better. It starts with asking something more of ourselves and being willing to get new skills and try new strategies.

For help and support

Reach out to jenn@youareworthmore.co OR book time in her calendar to explore your magnificence.

About Jenn

Jenn has over 15-years in healthcare and is board-certified in designations having neuroscientific foundations.  Attaining designations through recognized and respected Boards, such as ABNLP, means being held to ethical standards and conduct related to clients, everyday interactions and even running the practice.  It means Jenn’s services come with assurance and a guarantee.  It also means she is committed to continuous maintenance and improvement of learnings, and Jenn’s clients are the ones that ultimately gain the benefits of all that. 

Rest assured the services can cover both personal and business coaching.  If you are a small or medium size business, or someone living silently with emotional pain, held back by fear, have a poor image of yourself, know you have more to give and don’t know how to get started or motivated, then please connect.

Visit the Jenn Drakes’ Divintastical Living Institute for all our educational offerings.  Check-in often to see what new and interesting courses and events are being launched at what is a life school and nurturing centre.

The Arrays of Living podcast continues the nurturing even when students and clients are offline or away from our sessions.  

Surround yourself with inspiration by visiting the Jenn Drakes Store

Coming soon is a monthly nurturing service called rYze – elevate your why.  

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