Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The Perfect Peach Journey Continues

Just when I thought the sessions could get no better...  This session was great!  If you walked in the room you would have been hit with tons of positive energy.  The topic of the third session was Self-worth and Values. So many of us were taught to focus on others and not ourselves.  As children we are told not to brag or be selfish.  While teenagers, wanting to be accepted, we may have minimized our accomplishments to avoid appearing conceited or self-centered.  As adults we may have developed a false humility to avoid looking prideful.  We may come to not like ourselves and believe that we don't deserve anything good.  Self-esteem suffers while self-worth is forgotten. - 'Who Said Peaches Were Perfect?" The Workbook.
So we started the session off bragging about our accomplishments.  The girls enjoyed talking about their achievements without the pressure of being judged.  We each took a turn telling what makes us special.  The smiles were limitless and we got to know a lot more about each other.
The girls got a chance to act out scenes from the novel, "Who Said Peaches Were Perfect?".  This led to a discussion about how each character feels about themselves.
Then we talked about Values and identified our own.  We tackled the questions "Who Am I?" and "What do I believe in?"  We talked about how understanding what we value helps us to understand why we think and act the way we do.  Then we completed  our vision boards!!  Yes, we each did our very own vision boards and discussed our dreams.  It was fun and everyone got to take home their board filled with the things and ideas that they value.
We also had a surprise guest ... Rashan Ali!  My friend for many years stopped by to share her story.  She talked about the ups and downs of her career in Radio.  She inspired the girls with her testimony about what it means to listen to and trust God.  She also shared her vision board with the girls.  She was great!!
My sister, Torie Evans, who is a social worker and my good friend Tara Brown, who is a graphic designer also stopped in to meet the girls and help out with their vision boards.
We ended with our perfect peach journey circle and I left them with this inspiration:



Afraid To Dream

Dreaming can be frightening.
When you dream, all things are possible.
Are you afraid to dream?
I like to dream
But it can be frightening to imagine that you can have
anything, everything that you want
It’s mind blowing to imagine that there is a place where all your needs are met,
Where all of your wishes can come true;
that you can live the type of life
you have dreamed of without struggle or effort.
Can you imagine doing all of the things you love to do;
being paid for doing those things;
feeling good about what you are doing and yourself.
Is that frightening to you?
It’s frightening to me!
That’s probably why it is not happening!
I am afraid to dream…
Are you afraid to dream?

1 comment:

Nicole Winston said...

I love this, Tracy. I love the fact that this is being discussed and these young ladies have an outlet to vent and openly express their true feelings. I am a board member of a nonprofit organization and we had a similar discussion about forgiveness with our girls and I was amazed at the outpouring of emotion as a result of not having a father figure. I really admire what you are doing and would love to have you as a guest speaker at one of our power sessions.