Don't Be Ashamed

 Have you ever felt ashamed of yourself? Have you ever felt like you were being judged because of where you are or where you were in life? Have you ever been ashamed of your past? Well, if so, you are not alone!! I know I had moments where I felt ashamed. It was a time when all my peers just seemed to be exceeding in life and I wasn’t. Trust me guys, you are never alone, no matter the circumstances of life. I am here to tell you never to be ashamed of where you are in life. I don’t care how bad it is or if you feel embarrassed, even if you are starting from the bottom. It will all be worth it in the end. 

 The thing is, we all must start somewhere in life. Not all the time it will be perfect. I know it’s hard to not be ashamed of yourself. As humans its natural to feel like we are being compared or we are doing the comparing. Because of this judgment we always feel insignificant. Unfortunately, we are going to be judged no matter what and such is life. So, let others keep judging, but as for you, try your best to ignore it and keep moving forward. We all had to struggle to get somewhere in life, whether it was saving up to buy your dream car, working towards going to school or merely fighting just to get that promotion you think you deserved, better yet, what you know you deserve!  

Reality is, some of us either have or had a sucky job, whether you were waiting tables for obnoxious people, cleaning up after people or being a receptionist of a company where everyone around you is doing your dream job. For moments like these, think of the positives, at least your working and not being a bum, stealing, or possibly doing drugs. Just keep your head up and smile. Just know that if you're working towards something, you ARE DOING SOMETHING. You are completing a goal. This goal you have in your mind, whether it’s to go off to college, travel to a new country or just start up your own business. You should strive to SAVE YOUR MONEY and budget. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t achieve goals the same time as someone you graduated with or a friend you know.  Remember, you can only have progress through process.

 I know I am not the only one guilty of self-doubt when it comes to my progress in life, so I will come right out and say it. Have you ever just had one of those jobs where you disliked it so much, but you knew you had a goal at the end of the day. Every day, you woke up, just lying in your bed feeling ashamed and thinking to yourself, do I really need this job? It’s the same routine every day, wake up, get ready for work, repeat. Everyday. But when you finally arrive at work, your vibe is just like “uuughhhh.” Well let me tell you something…. STOP IT!!!! I know what it’s like to dislike a job and not want to be there. However, don’t be so negative, just be happy your making an income even if it is not the best. I know you may be ashamed of it, but imagine the people who wished they could even get that job and would be so happy to have one where they could provide for their kids, or maybe just themselves.

Number 10 Bus: Sandy Port - Nassau, The Bahamas

Another thing you shouldn’t be ashamed of is catching the bus (I know I hated it), walking or whatever transportation you had. The goal is just to get where you want to go. I remember a few years back, a young man who worked at an insurance company spoke to my class about dead investments. The number 1 “dead investment,” he mentioned was a vehicle. He spoke about how everyone is so quick to buy a vehicle, but they don’t think about all the payments you have to make. Meaning buying the car itself. He mentioned that most persons get a loan and then have to pay it back. He then mentioned how people forget that cars need servicing and there can also be accidents, so that’s more money your spending than you had planned for. The best advice that came out of the explanation was, “Do not be ashamed to walk or catch a bus until you save up enough money to afford your car as a whole.” That includes paying it upfront in cash and being able to afford servicing, gas, insurance, etc. I don’t know about you guys, but I agree with him, because I don’t want to buy a vehicle and still have all these backup payments that I owe the bank. If that’s the case, I will just keep walking, catching the bus or train and there is nothing wrong with that.

Now my blooming flowers, to get a little deeper into this topic, you should NOT be ashamed of your past. Listen to me, there is no need to. It has made you into the most beautiful flower (men you are flowers too) you are today. Don’t be ashamed if you lived in poverty, struggled with “inner demons,” brought up in an abusive home or are single parent family, or even all of the above. All of those things teach you to be a better you. It makes you look at life in a different way (positively I hope). Just don’t let the negativity consume you. Be proud of your past, share your story and let people know where you came from and how you survived. Your past does not define who you are as an individual. Be proud of those visible/invisible scars you have. Why? Because you are a survivor, that’s why. Don’t be ashamed of what you used to be or what people thought about you. You made mistakes and that is fine, those are lessons learned, to help you “Bloom”. Those things do not matter. What matters, is that you have made it this far enough to say “I did it.” If anything, you should be proud of yourself, don’t be ashamed of the journey it took you to get where you are now. Like seriously!!! Don’t be ashamed and don’t be ashamed of trying to start your journey either. It can only get better once you start and try.

 As we close these petals of understanding for right now, don’t ever be ashamed of where you are in life, where you came from, what job your working or have worked before. We all have a story to tell and you never know, it may just be your testimony or an encouraging story to uplift someone and give them hope, that one day,  one day things will be okay. 

 What are you ashamed about?

How has your past/current position made you a better person?

What is your story?