Ground In Grief

I remember in 2022 had to be the hardest, most challenging and dark times of my entire existence. I experienced death after death, first it was my mother, then my nana two months apart. Then business clients and sales declined slowly. I was working with a NPO consulting company and couldn't keep up and struggled to stay on task. I was SO OVERWHELMED! Then things in my marraige were struggling and I was looking at seperation, it was ROUGH! In late November, I decided I had enough and I was ready to leave this earth.

What was the point anyway! Some will say it is selfish because I have a beautiful daughter but at the time, I was hurting so badly and I felt like I did not have a real purpose in life anymore. My two pillars was gone and it seemed like everything else was dying right along with them so why not add myself to the list. I was at the lowest point of my life and I didn't want to live anymore, life had No More Meaning (Grief had me in a choke hold!) I was barely existing because living made no sense anymore. I felt like I had no direction and although I am a grown woman, I have my birth mom here still, but my mother, the woman who raised, guided, protected and shielded me transitioned. The woman who was there when my mom left to binge, she was tragically taken. I was GONE! I became a shell who longed to feel the presence of home and comfort.

When FAITH is not enough comfort...

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a woman of God, I love God with my whole heart, the Holy Spirit had become just above a whisper and all I could focus on was the comfort of death. I do not know if I would have been reunited with them but I knew this life was not the same for me, I quickly realized that was the point. God used this dark time in my life to ground me and reroute my life back to Him and what He desired for me to do and focus on.

Four things I realized as I was going through the darkest part of my grief:

1. Losing my mother, the woman who developed me into the woman I am, she gave me the tools to be sustainable, independent and have a love for God and family. For that I am most grateful for because that is truly what sustains me when I think of her and how I am raising my daightere.

The Grounding - Helped me realize that I am a reflection of my nana as much as I am God's reflection. He showed me that when I am weak ( in grief) He rises up as strength within me.

2. Tragically losing my nana showed me trauma is real and it made me painfully aware that when things or people are ripped out of my life abruptly, it makes me remember the times when I did not prioritize them. That hurt and hit home and I was angry with God as a result of it.

The Grounding - God showing me that although things leave your life without warning, there is always something left to keep you. Digging deep to find the moments to remember most and grow from those seeds planted.

3. Putting Down my Business was DEVASTATING but Necessary! In 2021, I replaced my previous salary (24k) from my job from 2018-2020. I was projected to double that in 2022 because I was not anticipating what I was about to experience. My business had become my driving focus and I was determined to hit some goals I outlined. With everything that happened, it halted and that drive, passion and motivation dissapeared QUICKLY!

The Grounding- God showed me that what I was currently pursuing was not from Him nor was it glorfying Him. Essentially I was building on my own accord and doing it for green! OUCH! That hurt because I was helping people, in my wheelhouse but I was looking at things from a money persective and not as marketplace ministry perspective and that is why things fell apart. The otherside to that was, I was doing things and feeling frustrated. God revealed that what I was doing was NOT what He wanted me to do. There was a time and place for everything and He needed to reroute me to where He desired me to be. Turns out, it was/is the very things I wanted to do ORIGINALLY but I went in the way of the dollar. God rerouted my dreams, shutdown my business as usual and I am glad for it.

4. I thought I was on the rise in 2021! I was living my best life and I knew that 2022 would be my year I would see my first 6-Figures! I had a passion for my life I wanted to much, little did I know I would be put back in the soil of God's potters wheel. With all I was experiencing, I lost me. I did not who I was, I did not have the identity I thought I had because my identity was in what I did and my accomplishments. My value was in my work and not who I was serving and I was beginning to get desperate to keep up with the trends to make money. .

The Grounding - realizing I cannot and I am not motivated by money, I am motivated by the mission and purpose God designed me for. I found myself going in circles, confused about what I should do, connecting with people that did not take me serous because deep down I didnt take myself serious. I didnt believe that I could do what I know I could. I doubted often. God grounded me in His assurance that I could do what He set forth for me to do, with and through Him. There was areas in my character that needed to be dealt with and strenthened. I had no idea it would bring me back to the workforce. At first I was focused on how long I would be there and I have grown to accept and receive the shifting, and repositioning I needed to be better within my capabilities and as a business owner.

Looking back then to where I am now, God has been Restoring Everything the enemy tried to steal from me including my life! When God restores He can sometimes take you back in order to Elevate you forward to your New and Next Season!

A Chance to ReNew My Passion for Writing, Teaching and Development!

One of my greatest accomplishments that happened In the midst of my grief was I wrote my 8th Book in 3 Days and I published it in April 2023.

Still processing grief, Going back to the workforce to redefine and refine my purpose in the Earth, give me a chance to breath without the pressure of having to "make the sale" helped me to

Re-establish my Kingdom Assignments.

If you identify with this and are wanting and have been looking for ways to leverage your reset phase, tools and implementation strategies to rebuild You and Your Business Powered by Faith, follow me (if you're not already) on Facebook and Instagram @takimahowze.

Also, if you want a headstart on getting the strategies to rebuild your life and business, get your copy of my newest book ( Available via eBook) The 12: Kingdom Principles to Build YOU and a Successful Business.  Over the next 12 days I will be sharing my personal journey on how I overcame the S.A.Dness of the season and how God used my grief to ground me and build me up to become BRAVVER and Better in the midst of my dark period.

If you enjoyed this blog, comment and share it with someone you know!

There is more to come, so stay tuned! Until next time, Be You, Stay True and Live BRAVVE!

-Takima

Its Time To Be BRAVVE Again!

Rebuilding, Restructuring and ReNewing The BRAVVE Dream

Rebuilding Your Life, Restructuring Your Brand and Business, New Lifestyle Practices

Hey Guys! Its Takima and I am here to Re-introduce myself! Its been a long time and just to put it out there ( you will find another blog with a similar title! lol) When life life's, you change and evolve and this is me, evolved and on another level.

I have been in this online business space for quite some time and I have to say that I am truly not the person I was when I first started HOWEVER, I am NOW the person I wanted to be when I started. I let the voices of others push and pull me in another direction when I know God wanted me to show up as I am now, but I was not ready for that, so I conformed.

With growth, maturity and FULLY embracing my gifts, skills, talents and abilities I am here to truly be all that I have been designed to be! So, allow me to INTRODUCE Myself:

Hi! I am Takima Howze, Writer, Author, Business Owner ( of BOLD Creatives Consulting Solutions), The LIT Lab ( A mobile and virtual writing and creative cultivation station for kids, teens and adult creatives), and I am also the founder of The BRAVVE Life Life + Business brand powered by Faith. I teach and train millennials and moms how to be Bold, Resilient, Authentic, Victorious, Vulnerable and Empowered in the midst of life's chaos.

When "Life is Lifin", Be BRAVVE and decide to develop a...

Goals for The BRAVVE New You Blog

My goal for this blog is to inspire, empower and encourage you to take the steps you may be afraid to take into the unknown and new that God has already planned for you. Let's face it, we can take matter into our own hands because we are living our lives right? But I can tell you first hand when God takes the reins and redirects you, the new direction is BEST. This blog will help you on the journey to Renew in a BRAVVE way and with tips and tools on how to do it for your life AND business so I hope you will learn much and we can connect on a deeper level.

Are you Ready to Be and Live BRAVVE? ASAMBE!!

(That's "Let's Go" in Kiswahili)

Restarting can seem cumbersome but the lessons you learn along the way are invaluable. I want to share what I have learned with every relaunch, revamp, restart and give you ways to implement those lessons to help you. One thing I want you to know is YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE!

Starting over is a new beginning to a life you NEVER even thought you could live.

I want you to remain connected to be on my Renewed BRAVVE journey, follow me on FB @TakimaHowze. Are you a Pinterest Lover? Yay! Lets connect there! If you are looking for quotes for life and business and books that will feed your soul, follow my Pinterest @TakimaTheCreative. Lastly, get my new book "The 12: Kingdom Principles to Build YOU and a Successful Business! This will help you get on the right track of renewal and stability! Stan.store/GETItWithTakima

To Speak or Nah?

Hey, Hey!

Its your girl Takima and I am back with PART 2 of the “It Starts with a Conversation” blog series. If you didn’t get to read the first one, check it out here. As the dust is settling and people are making more noise and letting their “voices be heard” whether in protest or these internet streets, I’ve noticed something that needs to be addressed.

With the spark of injustice ignited by George Floyd everyone has had something to say. People who I personally didn’t expect to say anything to people I knew would have a POV and then some. Even in the in the non-profit where I serve as data specialist and program assistant, there have been intentional staff conversations surrounding injustice and being black in America. Very much needed however I have noticed something that I believe needs to be addressed.

Insert Pink Elephant in the Room

I have noticed on the internet and in person there are people who are shaming those that have not said anything or given an opinion about the events that are taking place in our world. Now, on some level I believe EVERYONE is thinking about it because realistically how can you not, however on the other hand does that mean that you MUST speak publicly on it? That is the question I will do my best to answer here. You know the saying “opinions are like buttholes everyone has one”? Well, just because you have an opinion doesn’t mean you have to express it for the world to hear. I happen to be very vocal and expressive, hence this blog, so of course I was going to take the opportunity to discuss what is going on and share my thoughts and feelings. Everyone isn’t like that and that is OKAY! People who have a voice and choose to use it should not force, ridicule or shame others to use theirs. This topic and tragic event has caused severe trauma to some and for others have put them in a space where if they did speak it would be utterly taken out of context and cause more friction. People have the right to keep their feelings to themselves and should not be “bullied” to speak up if they choose not to.

Common sense right?

Well common sense isn’t so common and adults are the biggest bullies out there. I have witnessed people either negating the reality of what is going on and ignoring people’s feelings about it and/or people are literally cornering people to speak and trying to make them feel bad for not. I mean how is that okay or making lives better? Being down for the cause is respecting how people process and how they choose to use their voices or opinions. Some have channeled their pain or thoughts into doing more in their communities, or have sowed money into organizations that can and will assist to make this world a better environment for every person black and white. I believe we need to understand that everyone’s voice is not just used with their mouth, your voice can be used money, taking action and putting in effort to build up communities, businesses or creating opportunities for those who would not otherwise access to them.

What about the Big Corporations and Brands

Here are my thoughts and realities regarding big companies and corporations speaking up and out about injustice and equality.

1. THEY ARE NOT OBLIGATED TO SPEAK!

Every business has a set of values, morals and ethics that they go by. If those core values do not line up with what is going on, why would they speak on or make a statement about what is happening? That would be going against their business ideals and because of that a statement will not be made and we should not expect it.

2. Brands and Businesses ALWAYS speak the language of their top consumers.

Big businesses or brands that have made statements have an obligation to their customers, especially to the black ones. If they have a large black following or customer base their statements are made to make sure that their target audience sees their efforts and to guarantee they do not lose them. Are they sincere about their statements, I would hope so but just so we are clear just because they made a statement doesn’t mean that is how they truly feel, just being honest.

3.Watch the actions behind the statement!

After the statement is made look at the action afterwards. Businesses can say and make statements all day but what are they going to do to follow that up? Make sure that those big brands and businesses that have had banners made that scream #BlackLivesMatter really believe in, support and are DOING something to show they truly believe and stand behind that

That’s all I have for now, join me in the conversation in the comments below! I want to know what you think and if you have been or felt bullied to speak. It’s not okay to feel pressured and when the hype is all said and done the fight continues. That is what matters. So, lets talk! I am here and just in case you missed the first convo, read it here.

I will see you in PART 3 on Friday! Until then, be BRAVVE and Unapologetic!

-Takima