Sharina Perry: Authentic life lessons ripen the soil for our growth
As we close out the second year of events that will be forever defined as life-changing, did you embrace or resist the change? I believe how we approach the next season, is directly related to how we view life through the lens of our prism.
The other day a dear friend and partner jokingly (but seriously) shared an analogy about his view of my approach to life. After a meeting, he said, "No matter how ridiculous or challenging it is, you will find the positive.” He went on to say, "We could be stranded on an island with a typhoon coming and you will say; let's think about what valuable things will wash up on the shore.” We both laughed but then we discussed the importance of viewing the lessons learned from trial or challenge as a benefit. We also emphasized the importance of a sound view of faith not guided by blind credulity.
I have spent over 25 years on my entrepreneurial journey. Through everything this life chose to throw at me, I have dealt with the reality of balancing being a mom, spouse, daughter, sister, friend, partner, steward, business owner and community supporter. What I have learned is no matter our race, gender, socio-economic status, religion or political affiliation, we are not immune to life’s challenges.
If we are in positions of service or leadership, often the weight we carry is hefty. We learn to "mask” well. We smile in meetings, classrooms, offices and even at home, but cry in silence when alone. Often we see images of what is projected as next to perfect. For some, this can be a source of discouragement and feelings of inadequacy or less than.
I combat this feeling by remembering this is my race. It does not exist in comparison or competition with another. We are each in our lane to run at our own pace. The winds of life will challenge us. There will be headwinds and tailwinds. Lean in and back when necessary. The blows of life caused me to stand firmly on the foundation of my faith. The journey lead to finding the space to live my authentic truth. They say, "Fake it to you make it." I say, "Take ownership and work at making the life that causes your spirit to leap, so you don't have to fake it."
Remember, the goal is to endure. I can't express enough how freeing life became when I chose to no longer mask my life. Continually pursuing living my authentic truth void of the opinion of others — good or bad. Tapping into everything inside of me. Taking ownership of both the wins and losses. Viewing every challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow. The easy thing to do is play the blame game — find where another missed, while making ourselves the victim. This rarely leads to the desired outcome. However, the reward in all things is truth. It creates the space for good to work out. The lessons we learn in the process are our rewards. They ripen the soil for our growth.
I challenge you to approach and walk into the new year with a resolve to find the better version of yourself. Tap into your gifts. Embrace change and keep running your race. See you on the journey.
Sharina Perry is founder/inventor of Utopia Plastix and managing partner/CEO of the Oklahoma based Utopia Model Cos.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Sharina Perry: On embracing change, overcoming comparisons, challenges
