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What A Relief!

September 09, 2018

Hello You!

Thank you for taking the time to read this article today. If you are a first time reader of this column, I am completely convinced that you are not here by mistake but by divine connection. As for those of you who have been reading this column devotedly, I just want to take this opportunity to thank you all and to let you know I appreciate you and feel honored that you choose to keep coming back for more of my thoughts.  I also take this opportunity to acknowledge all those of you who have been interacting with me either by calling me, texting me or even emailing me. I am always humbled by your messages and the fact that you take time out of your busy schedule to share your feedback with me. Thank you so much and may the good Lord bless you all.

 

Today, I want to get really up, close and personal with you. I want to share with you a very personal experience I had this last week, one that left me with two major lessons. The first one I shared this morning on my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and the other one has been well elaborated in this article today. I believe that the lessons will help someone break free of chains that have been holding them down. I am certain someone will be uplifted and inspired by the lessons you are about to read. My only request is one; please share the column with someone else and let’s cause a ripple of inspiration, motivation and encouragement.

 

This last Thursday I had gone to visit a friend at Ubungo external. We had quite a lengthy and juicy conversation, that I almost forgot I had another appointment on the other side of town. Fortunately, traffic was not bad and so I estimated it would take me about 45 minutes to get to my next appointment which was right in the heart of CBD.  I don’t know how it happened but as I was leaving my friend’s office, I got on the wrong lane and was forced to use a completely different route to the CBD, one I'd never used before. 

 

About 10kms into my trip, suddenly, and from nowhere, the occupants of my stomach started warring each other in my stomach. Traffic was still ok and I figured I could get to my destination then use the toilet there, but another soft voice in my mind warned me against doing that. At that time, I was approaching the NSSF building in Ilala, and decided to get into that building to seek relief. By the time I was getting out of my car it felt like there was a volcanic eruption about to happen in my stomach. I am so grateful to God that I got to the toilet on time. 

 

After I was done, I felt so relieved and so light that my demeanor completely changed. I know this because when I got to the exit, the guard stopped to ask me what I had been told while I was in the building because it seemed I was happier now than when I had driven in a few minutes earlier. I honestly told him that I hadn’t gone to see anyone in any office but I had gone there to use the toilet. He was a good natured guy and he just laughed it off after saying, “kumbe nanyie warembo mnafanya mambo haya?” 

 

Anyway, moving on, as soon as I joined the road, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There was crazy traffic, stretching all the way to the Karume traffic lights and beyond. At that point I asked myself a question, “Liz, what would have happened if you hadn’t gone to the toilet when you did?” Friends, I shudder at the thought of what would have happened had I decided to wait until I got to CBD for me to go get relief.

Right there I got a very interesting revelation. 

 

You see, when I look at the original route I would have used, there is nowhere I could have gone to look for a toilet. On the other hand, if I had not gotten on the wrong lane, I would not have used the Ilala route, which means I would not have gotten to the NSSF building on time. Again, I don’t want to imagine what could have happened, but what this taught me is that there are times in life when things happen that don’t make sense, things that look like they are against you, things that look like they are mistakes, but later on after you have gone through them you realize that everything was all planned to work in your favor.

Indeed the universe has a way of conspiring to create “blessings in disguise” for people. My encouragement to you is that you may realize that not everything negative going on in your life right now is there to destroy you. In most cases, those negative situations in our lives shape us and help us to grow into better people, in preparation for a bigger responsibility ahead.

 

Going back to my story, I finally did get to my destination in CBD, albeit almost two hours late. Fortunately the gentleman I was going to meet was quite understanding, and being the first time we were meeting, he was quite courteous too. A few hours later while I was leaving his office, I got an Aha! Moment, which marks the basis of this article today.

 

Why did my stomach get upset? The only explanation I have for having an unsettled stomach was that I must have ingested something that didn’t align with my system. Could have been some food I ate, or something I drank, etc. Whatever it was, my stomach knew it was not fit for my body and so it started fighting to get it out of my system. As a result, an unsettled stomach ensued. 

 

Friends, many people roaming the streets of earth are going through life with “unsettled stomachs”, figuratively speaking. Some people are “unsettled” because they “ate the wrong food” and are not willing to let the food get out. For instance, some of you are suffering today because you ate the seed of unforgiveness. It is true that someone did something wrong to you but why have you never let it (or them) go? As a result of holding on to that, guess what is happening to you, you are now suffering ulcers  because of unforgiveness. Please do yourself a favor and let that person and whatever they did to you go. Trust me you will feel as light as I did when I left that NSSF toilet that day. Besides, have you not heard that unforgiveness is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die?

 

Then there is this other person who ate a bowl of insecurity and washed it down with the drink of self-doubt. Friend, if this is you then you need to look for the fastest way of ensuring you get rid of those toxins from your system. Do you know what happens when people are insecure? Negative behavior commences. Tim Fargo said this about insecurity, “Arrogance is the camouflage of insecurity.” Speaking of arrogance, not sure who said this but if you ask me, it clearly shows what insecurity can breed. The quote says, “Don't confuse confidence with arrogance. Arrogance is being full of yourself, feeling you're always right, and believing your accomplishments or abilities make you better than other people. People often believe arrogance is excessive confidence, but it's really a lack of confidence.” In other words, insecurity breeds a whole load of other negative characteristics, including lack of self confidence, pride, self righteousness, etc. All the more reason why you should find a way of dumping it in the nearest “toilet”.

 

I could go on and on and on about the “bad food” we ingest into our bodies, that end up causing “unsettled stomachs”. To mention a few more without necessarily going into details, there is hatred, jealousy, envy, ego, etc. All these are toxins that need to be flushed out of our systems. Of course getting rid of stuff like this is not as easy as going to the NSSF toilet like I did. It takes a lot more than that. That is why this week in the ongoing #52BooksIn52Weeks2018 Book Reading Challenge I am recommending the book I am currently reading, A New Earth: Awakening Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle. I remember I had recommended this book in February but I feel the need to recommend it again. It is a book that will transform your thinking and help you look at life from a very different perspective. I have to warn you though, this is one of those books you read with a very open mind. Tolle’s ideologies are not the usual .

 

As I come to the end of this article though, I’d like to remind you the whole purpose of me writing it is to ask you to look inwards and identify the things in your life that could cause you to be unsettled, things that can cause you to stagnate and not move forward. All those are toxins, and you need to get them out of your system fast. The faster you get them out of you, the sooner you will start experiencing inward peace and happiness that will help you appreciate every moment you are here on earth. 

 

In the words of Eckhart Tolle, “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.”

 

Be Ignited. Be Inspired. Be Influenced. Become the best version of yourself you can ever be.

 

PS: This article was originally published in Tanzania's Guardian On Sunday on the 9th September, 2018, under my weekly column "Thoughts in Words".​​​​

 

 

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