Latest / Is Your Way In Your Way? / Come Home To Yourself

Transcript

Come Home To Yourself · Is Your Way In Your Way?

0:25
Cassandra: Good day out there to all of my listeners.
0:29
Cassandra: And I'd like to welcome you to this episode of Is Your Way in Your Way?
0:34
Cassandra: And it's brought to you by my signature program.
0:37
Cassandra: My signature program is called The Rise Journey, which will enable you to start designing your best life on your terms.
0:45
Cassandra: And it's also created just to help women move from silently stuck to spiritually ignited and living in divine alignment.
0:55
Cassandra: So if you're ready to rise beyond limits, not only is this podcast for you, but also my six-month program titled Rise Beyond Limits.
1:05
Cassandra: And today I am joined by someone who knows that truth firsthand.
1:10
Cassandra: Anita Umzma.
1:14
Cassandra: After 25 years in corporate leadership, Anita left the grind to embrace a different kind of power, one rooted in peace, presence, and purpose.
1:27
Cassandra: And I wanted to uh bring this episode to many of you because a lot of listeners are purpose-driven women, and there's something calling you that you know within your heart or in your rowings that it's something else that you should be doing, but you just can't seem to move the lever.
1:47
Cassandra: And I just want to kind of us to talk and I want you to listen to what Anita has said because you know what?
1:54
Cassandra: This is my second time interviewing her.
1:57
Cassandra: She's the first of first of all of the guests I've had.
2:01
Cassandra: I've had over 150 guests to interview twice because I believe that she has some insight for you that's going to help you pivot and start living that life that you were designed to live.
2:14
Cassandra: So let's get ready for our conversation that will shift how you see success and yourself.
2:21
Cassandra: And I'll let me introduce you.
2:23
Cassandra: Some may remember.
2:24
Cassandra: Well, hello, Anita.
2:26
Aneta: How are you today?
2:27
Aneta: Oh, I'm doing so great, Cassandra.
2:30
Aneta: Thank you so much for having me back.
2:32
Aneta: I just love our conversations, and I think that your mission and mine are so aligned.
2:38
Aneta: So it just always feels wonderful being with you.
2:41
Cassandra: Yeah.
2:41
Cassandra: Well, thank you.
2:42
Cassandra: It's a pleasure to have you back.
2:44
Cassandra: Um, guys, you know, I want to talk about the title, the headline for this podcast.
2:50
Cassandra: And it's titled Lanterns of Light and Come Home to Yourself.
2:57
Cassandra: And Anita and I talked about this a little bit prior to coming on, and I really like coming home to yourself because when I was in therapy, I've always been in therapy for years, and one day, one of my therapists said to me, You need to just come home to self.
3:13
Cassandra: And I was like, What is she talking about?
3:16
Cassandra: What do you mean, come home to myself?
3:19
Cassandra: So Anita's gonna explain that to us, but I just want to read a little bit of her bio for those who've not heard, did not hear the prior um podcast that we've had before.
3:32
Cassandra: But she is a transformational coach, she does breath work, meditation guide, and she's a founder of her own coaching and consulting business.
3:41
Cassandra: Now, she worked 25 years in corporate, and she did she actually followed a divine call to help others live more intentionally.
3:49
Cassandra: And I really want to preface that because I believe many of you have a divine calling.
3:54
Cassandra: You're in this workspace that you are you're okay with, you're grateful that you have it, but you know that there's something else inside.
4:02
Cassandra: So today she blends her wisdom, her leadership tools, and she guides high-achieving women to slow down, reconnect with your inner truth, and create lives that feel as good on the inside as you look on the outside.
4:17
Cassandra: And guess what?
4:18
Cassandra: She has a new book.
4:20
Cassandra: Anita and I talked June of 2024.
4:25
Cassandra: And here it is, another year.
4:28
Cassandra: And this, I'm telling you, I know this is a journey for from that day to here for her to write another book, the the The Lanterns of Light.
4:38
Cassandra: Oh my goodness.
4:39
Cassandra: And so she actually embarked on another, what I'm gonna call a self-discovery journey.
4:45
Cassandra: Um, which we talked about back a year ago, we talked about alignment resulting is a greater sense of balance.
4:54
Cassandra: Um, back then, and we're gonna talk about alignment now as well.
4:59
Cassandra: So, Anita, now because we spoke over a year ago, I am very interested.
5:06
Cassandra: Well, actually, guys, she did she's done retreats.
5:10
Cassandra: Um this is not her first book, and she's also done yoga and all of that, but I want to know about her journey behind lanterns of life and what did you learn about from a year ago to today?
5:27
Cassandra: And guys, her book was just published last Tuesday.
5:31
Cassandra: That is amazing.
5:33
Cassandra: So, also this is new, and because I'm an author, I can imagine how she feels inside.
5:38
Cassandra: So, tell us about that journey from last year to this last Tuesday about this book.
5:46
Aneta: Oh my gosh.
5:47
Aneta: Well, so I'm gonna take you back even a little further because I don't think we I think we talked about my first book when I was on last year, Live the Width of Your Life, and I was writing the second book.
5:58
Aneta: So I heard it was a divine invitation to write the second book.
6:05
Aneta: I was sitting in meditation, November of 2023, and I heard God say it's time to write your second book.
6:13
Aneta: And I wasn't sure what it was going to be about.
6:17
Aneta: And the more I sat with it, the more I prayed, and what I heard very clearly, and I know it wasn't for me because I didn't want to do it, was uh to write a book about um my favorite scripture verses and how they've helped me during some of the hardest times of life and during experiencing all the things we experience as humans.
6:39
Aneta: And um, I also heard God say, and I want you to include your journal entries when you used these verses to help you.
6:48
Aneta: And, you know, I type my journals typically almost every morning.
6:53
Aneta: And um instead of writing, like I just find it much easier for myself.
6:57
Aneta: So I went back and I searched, and there were over 20 scripture verses that I could find over the last however many years.
7:05
Aneta: And I thought, oh wow, I do this really often.
7:08
Aneta: This is interesting.
7:09
Aneta: So I started with those and I allowed myself to kind of meditate on the verses and look at what was happening in my life during that time.
7:18
Aneta: And slowly it really started to unfold.
7:21
Aneta: And what I saw was that with these verses, you know, I thought, how do I organize this in a way that makes sense?
7:27
Aneta: And it really became this arc of our spiritual journey, which is never linear, but the book ended up being seven sections and 35 chapters, and it starts with, you know, section one is really around the foundation of faith.
7:44
Aneta: And then to the end where we talk about, you know, how do you live this and carry this forward?
7:49
Aneta: How do you allow yourself to come back home, as you said earlier on?
7:54
Aneta: And so I spent almost two years writing this book, and I had fits and starts.
8:00
Aneta: I'll tell you, Cassandra, there was I was really resisting it.
8:03
Aneta: I had so much fear and I had so much doubt because I kept thinking, who am I to do this?
8:10
Aneta: Who I'm not qualified, I'm gonna be judged, I am scared.
8:15
Aneta: Like, I don't talk about my faith in this way publicly, you know, although it's very strong.
8:22
Aneta: And yet God just kept saying, finish the book, finish the book, finish the book, and that's what I kept hearing.
8:31
Aneta: And um, so I did, and here we are.
8:35
Cassandra: Well, let's let's talk about God, yeah, because you know, the a lot of listeners, it's it's like something is telling them something.
8:49
Cassandra: It's kind of like your conscious or your or your gut feeling, you know, and and as women, they said go with your gut if you're feeling something, but you're not saying it was your gut, you're saying it was God.
9:03
Cassandra: How do you know that it was God telling you that?
9:08
Aneta: Yeah, well, because it definitely was not something I wanted to do.
9:12
Aneta: It was like a very deep inner knowing.
9:15
Aneta: And um, and I've had that sort of in other stages of my life where it's just so clear, and it was definitely I tried to go against it, I tried not to do it.
9:28
Aneta: And that morning, actually, I sat at my computer after I had kind of message and I wrote the intro in like a couple of minutes.
9:36
Aneta: The whole thing just came out.
9:37
Aneta: Wow, okay, so it was complete co-partnership, and I do believe that inner knowing and that gut instinct, I think that is the spirit telling us one way or another often.
9:51
Aneta: And when we are quiet, when we are, you know, still, then we are able to hear that voice.
9:59
Aneta: And of course, there's discernment and there's practice with that.
10:02
Aneta: And I tried, I kept going, Are you sure you want me to write this book?
10:06
Aneta: Are you sure?
10:07
Aneta: And it was uh, it would not go away.
10:09
Aneta: So God definitely pursued me um writing this book.
10:13
Cassandra: Yeah, that that sounds so familiar.
10:15
Cassandra: Uh, in that process, what was your support system like?
10:21
Aneta: I told my husband right away, and I told my kids, and they just were they're so supportive.
10:27
Aneta: And all my friends and my clients, it's really interesting.
10:31
Aneta: A lot of my close friends and clients, they always used to call me preacher.
10:35
Aneta: They would joke around because I always had someone would say something, and I'd go, Oh, that's the story of this, or this reminds me of this.
10:44
Aneta: And I just carried some of these sort of examples or stories where people are like, wow, you explain that so clearly and so easily.
10:52
Aneta: I've never read that or I never heard that before, but that totally resonates or makes sense.
10:56
Aneta: And so I think that it was always within.
11:00
Aneta: And uh, I have one friend in particular, Cammie.
11:02
Aneta: She and I used to run together.
11:03
Aneta: We'd run marathons and half marathons, and we'd run for hours together and we'd always talk about faith and we'd talk about God.
11:10
Aneta: And she said, You have to write a book about this one day.
11:13
Aneta: She was she said that like years and years ago.
11:16
Aneta: And so uh her particular um her particular review is on the back of the book.
11:23
Aneta: She wrote, I have a notebook full of scribbles of profound thoughts shared by my friend over the course of many years.
11:29
Aneta: She's now gracefully composed a collection of these observations for all of us to read.
11:33
Aneta: And so it, you know, goes on.
11:35
Aneta: But yeah, she was one of the first people that said, Oh, you're gonna have to read a book about this.
11:41
Cassandra: Yeah, yeah.
11:42
Cassandra: And I wanted to bring that up because you know, there's so many of us that have dreams and aspirations, but yet our circle is distracting.
11:53
Cassandra: Um, individuals are not in our best interest.
11:57
Cassandra: And I I and I know many of them are aware that you know who to tell and who not to tell.
12:06
Cassandra: And you cannot do anything alone.
12:09
Cassandra: So it's great to have people in your corner to encourage you.
12:14
Cassandra: And I say that because when I was writing my book, there were certain people I didn't tell, you know, um, even thoughts.
12:22
Cassandra: I just it was like it was sacred.
12:24
Cassandra: I I did not want to share because I did not want to hear that feedback because I knew it would be negative.
12:30
Cassandra: Yeah.
12:30
Cassandra: So that's why I wanted to bring that up because I'm certain you had a support system.
12:36
Aneta: Yeah, I'm so glad you raised that because it is true.
12:39
Aneta: There are definitely whether I was thinking about it that way, there were definitely people I told, and there are people I didn't until almost the end, where it's like, oh, guess what?
12:51
Aneta: A book is coming out.
12:52
Aneta: I just want you to know before you see it.
12:54
Aneta: Um, because I think that sometimes people project their fears, and just because it's our assignment doesn't mean that someone else understands it.
13:04
Aneta: And it's for them to validate or understand.
13:08
Aneta: And especially, you know, writing a book is such a sacred um assignment.
13:14
Aneta: It is something that, as you know, like you feel all the feelings.
13:20
Aneta: You asked me before we got on.
13:22
Aneta: Like last week, I was feeling all the feelings.
13:24
Aneta: I was crying, I was happy, I was joyful, I felt uh relief, I felt uh humbled, you know, everything.
13:33
Aneta: You feel all those things, and you still feel like for me, I still feel unworthy.
13:39
Aneta: I was still, I still texted my editor and I'm like, George, please tell me that this doesn't suck, right?
13:44
Aneta: Like the book isn't bad.
13:46
Aneta: You know, there's still this fear, you know, that it's never ready.
13:53
Aneta: And I guess a book is probably never ready.
13:56
Cassandra: Right.
13:56
Cassandra: Now I Anita, you are right about those different emotions because you have just um it it just I it's hard to explain the feelings when you do something that you know you you when it's done, you kind of know, yeah, that's just what I should have done.
14:18
Cassandra: I should have written the book.
14:20
Cassandra: Um, so my question to you, now you've written one before, but after this, did you do you sense an evolution within yourself?
14:31
Cassandra: Have you evolved even more?
14:33
Cassandra: And if so, what way have you done that?
14:36
Aneta: Yeah, I think you know, coming back to this come home to yourself.
14:40
Aneta: I feel like I am really just shedding more layers of self-doubt, more layers of uh limitations, coming back to my essence of who I am in a way, and feeling more confident in that, even even when there's worries or doubts and all that.
15:00
Aneta: Even my my friends that have read it, they said, you know, you can see a maturity and a difference just in the writing.
15:08
Aneta: I feel like this writing is this book was so much a heart-centered project, like so spirit-driven that it feels different.
15:17
Aneta: It doesn't feel like an intellectual book, it feels like something that has energy and frequency.
15:45
Aneta: And uh, and I think that's just because I was in a different space when I was writing it, and I definitely felt like a co-creation.
15:54
Cassandra: Yeah, yeah.
15:55
Cassandra: Let's talk about um coming home to yourself.
15:59
Cassandra: What does that mean?
16:01
Cassandra: And why is it good to do that?
16:06
Aneta: Yeah, it's interesting.
16:07
Aneta: I think everyone probably has a version of what that looks like.
16:10
Aneta: And for me, um, coming home, I think it comes back to like, who are you?
16:16
Aneta: And for me, it's I remember that I'm this eternal spiritual being who chose to come down here to have this experience in this earthly body, um, to remember, to be the hands and feet of God, to do good work in this world, to bear the responsibility of what that means in terms of how we love one another, you know, how we display that love to others, how we take care of each other.
16:46
Aneta: And I think we can only do that when we have a greater sense of who we are and our purpose, also love ourselves.
16:54
Aneta: You know, there's a chapter on the greatest commandment where Jesus says, love your Lord your God, love your neighbor as yourself.
17:02
Aneta: And in that, in that chapter, I talk about so many people don't have love for themselves.
17:08
Aneta: So of course they project judgment and fear and hate onto others because they don't have it for themselves.
17:17
Aneta: They don't see the connection, they don't see the other person as another part of God, right?
17:22
Aneta: And so it it, you know, that's one of those chapters that was um so emotional to write because it's it seems like God's calling.
17:38
Aneta: It seems like it's an easy commandment, right?
17:41
Aneta: Where you're like, oh, just do this, and then everything else falls into place.
17:45
Aneta: And yet it is so difficult to live that way and to exhibit that sort of love every single day.
17:52
Aneta: So I think it's it's coming back to who we are, why we're here, how we're created to be, leaning on our faith and our trust, the divine, and then um seeing that in every other person too.
18:06
Cassandra: Yeah.
18:06
Cassandra: Now, you know, um when I listened to you, I I recall times when I didn't love myself.
18:15
Cassandra: And I wondered, and and I remember asking a girlfriend of mine, I'm like, do you love yourself?
18:20
Cassandra: And she looked at me like, what are you talking about?
18:23
Cassandra: You know, because I was I was in a self-discovery mode, and I've been in that mode for for years, just trying to be who I was created to be with all these limiting beliefs that I had based on life, based on the lens that I wore.
18:36
Cassandra: And I I say that because I want you to share how one does that, you know.
18:46
Cassandra: Like I remember when she told me to come home to sell.
18:49
Cassandra: So, what did you do to come home to yourself?
18:54
Aneta: Yeah, I I I went back to God, I turned back to the creator, and there's a a chapter in the book that actually talks about um about this that I thought was really helpful.
19:07
Aneta: And it talked about how when God created the entire world, he created us and he said it was very good, and that above all the creation, everything that he made, we are the only ones made in his image, and we are very good.
19:25
Aneta: And so chapter 24 um really talks about do we see ourselves as a masterpiece of the master?
19:35
Aneta: Do we see ourselves in that way?
19:37
Aneta: And if we don't, then how can we look back to who created us and trust if we were created this way, that we can also see ourselves that way?
19:49
Aneta: And just like when we look at the sun and the stars and the moon and the animals and all the other beautiful things in this world, and yet we're above all of that creation.
20:00
Aneta: And I think meditating on that, um, one is like, wow, can I allow myself to really feel that way?
20:09
Aneta: And if that's the nature of my spirit, the part that never dies, then what are the parts that I don't like?
20:16
Aneta: And how many of those are just conditioning, you know, limited doubts that aren't true?
20:22
Aneta: How many are things that I could actually just examine and say, is this really true?
20:27
Aneta: And if it is, what can I do about it?
20:29
Aneta: And um, but it always comes back to like um when I struggle with some of those things is finding proof through scripture of really what the truth is.
20:39
Cassandra: Yes, exactly.
20:41
Cassandra: And that reminds me of a time when I was going through depression and and I asked God and I said, Um, have you ever been depressed?
20:50
Cassandra: You know, because I've read the word, you know, and I'm like, have you ever been depressed?
20:55
Cassandra: Is that okay to be like that?
20:56
Cassandra: And I remember the next morning I was reading my devotions, and and I knew this was God because I turned directly to the place where he told his disciples to wait for him.
21:09
Cassandra: And he went to ask his father, can you take this cup away from me?
21:15
Cassandra: And I was like, Wow.
21:17
Cassandra: And he said it three times.
21:18
Cassandra: Like he was like, I was so distressed and depressed.
21:22
Cassandra: And when I read that, I'm like, okay, I'm I'm I'm okay.
21:25
Cassandra: I know I was created into your likeness, but this is a demonstration that you went through the same thing that I went through.
21:33
Cassandra: So you are so right.
21:35
Cassandra: And and when we talk about God, and I tell my listeners, whomever, if you have to believe in something.
21:42
Cassandra: If you don't believe in something, you believe anything.
21:45
Cassandra: Okay.
21:46
Cassandra: And so I'm not, I don't think we are trying to sway them, we're just telling them what it was like for us, because that's what worked for me and for you.
21:59
Aneta: Yeah, and it's just my lineage.
22:01
Aneta: Like I I've examined and studied all faiths and and just learned so much because I'm so curious about the human existence.
22:09
Aneta: And um, and so always continue to be on our journey.
22:14
Aneta: And I don't think that you know, the divine God, whatever word you want to use, wants us to not doubt, because there's so many instances in scripture where people literally, Jacob literally wrestled with God, right?
22:27
Aneta: Like that's like was like, I'm getting this blessing from you.
22:30
Aneta: Like I'm not letting and so I don't think that that is um unheard of.
22:35
Aneta: It's not surprising.
22:36
Aneta: And it doesn't mean that we're less than.
22:39
Aneta: I think it just means that we're going through this human experience, which as you mentioned, Jesus also went through.
22:45
Aneta: And In the end, it you know, the answer was like, okay, your will, not mine.
22:51
Aneta: We can't control all the things we cannot control.
22:54
Cassandra: That's right.
22:55
Cassandra: That's right.
22:56
Cassandra: Okay, tell us the title of your book because this is not the title on the screen.
23:01
Cassandra: What is the title of your book?
23:03
Aneta: So the title is Lanterns of Light Illuminating Your Way Home.
23:08
Aneta: And what I meant by that is that I believe that scripture are lanterns for us, they light our path.
23:15
Aneta: Just like in your instance where you needed to find something about depression, you were shown a passage and it gave you what you needed in that moment.
23:25
Aneta: So the scripture becomes the lantern so that we can take the next step forward in faith.
23:31
Aneta: But then also we become lanterns of light in the world when we start to embody our faith in the greatest ways, because then we can do that for other humans because that's what we're here to do.
23:46
Aneta: And so that's why I love the the play of the word light and also illumination.
23:51
Aneta: I just think that that's you know, and of course, God is the light of the world.
23:54
Aneta: So there's just a lot of different symbolism there with uh with the title.
23:58
Cassandra: Right, right.
24:00
Cassandra: Okay.
24:01
Aneta: Do you have a favorite scripture?
24:05
Cassandra: If so, why?
24:07
Aneta: Uh, I don't think I have a favorite.
24:09
Aneta: However, I do have one that I had etched in wood in my front office.
24:15
Aneta: So um I have struggled with fear and like fear most of my life, all kinds of fears.
24:22
Aneta: If you search in my journal entry, you will hear the word, you'll see the word fear and afraid all the time.
24:27
Aneta: And I came across this artist, and she uses like this interesting pen and etches in reclaimed wood.
24:35
Aneta: And so I had her etch, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and sound mind from 2 Peter.
24:46
Aneta: And I recite that to myself because the most common phrase in the Bible is do not be afraid.
24:55
Aneta: And so for me, um, it's not a favorite necessarily.
24:59
Aneta: I have so many favorites, but it is um it's an affirmation.
25:05
Aneta: It is a something I repeat, something I say to myself all the time, because anytime the fear and the doubt creeps in, which is the human existence, I say, for God has not given us the spirit of fear.
25:18
Aneta: It is not from God.
25:20
Aneta: And I'm like, if it's not from God, it's not true, it's not real, you know, it's false, evidence appearing real.
25:27
Aneta: So that's the one I think I go back to over and over again.
25:30
Aneta: But of course, there's so many beautiful verses.
25:32
Aneta: Yeah, yeah, sure.
25:33
Aneta: How about you?
25:34
Aneta: Do you have a favorite?
25:35
Cassandra: Well, I I don't put it and I like what you said, depending on what I am going through.
25:41
Cassandra: Yeah, I will find it, I will write it on a on a um 3M note card and stick it on my mirror in my bathroom.
25:51
Cassandra: You know, when I had that self-doubt and and and low self-esteem, and how God said, You're fearfully and wonderfully made.
26:00
Cassandra: And I would look at that in the mornings and I'm like, okay, I and it would resonate within my spirit.
26:06
Cassandra: You know, it's just like God didn't give you a spirit of fear for power, love and style mind.
26:10
Cassandra: I'm like, okay.
26:11
Cassandra: And another one was John 10, 10, when he says, Um, um that that's one of my favorites, and I can't even think of it.
26:21
Cassandra: It's the one about um God, the the uh the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy.
26:29
Cassandra: Yes, and God came to give you life, and I hung on to that because I'm like, God, if you came to give me life, I'm not living life.
26:39
Cassandra: Yeah, you know, so what's the deal?
26:42
Cassandra: Yeah, yeah.
26:44
Cassandra: And I even wrote a chapter in my book about for those who doubted whether there was a God, and there were times that I'm like, I don't think you're real because I shouldn't be going through all of this, you know.
26:54
Cassandra: Um, just a real heart-to-heart talk.
26:57
Cassandra: And if you test him, and you don't suppose to, but you do, he will show up if you're open.
27:03
Cassandra: And he showed up in my life, and I'm like, Oh my gosh, you are real, you know.
27:08
Cassandra: So I like what you said about depending on what you're going through.
27:11
Aneta: Yeah, and we're not promised that life won't be without you know troubles, but God also said, I have overcome the world, he's overcome all those things.
27:21
Aneta: Yeah, and so I hold on to that too.
27:23
Aneta: That's one of the chapters in the book.
27:25
Cassandra: Yeah, yeah.
27:26
Cassandra: Now you talked about your sections in the book.
27:29
Cassandra: Is there um, and it's interesting because you have seven sections, yeah, and listeners, I told Aneta in the beginning, seven is my number.
27:37
Cassandra: Um, and then we even talked about when her book was published, it was it was the day when the moon was full.
27:46
Cassandra: Yeah, I mean, it was it was the brightest thing, you know.
27:51
Cassandra: And we always say when the moon's full, a lot of stuff happens, you know, and it was a wise tale from my granddad that used to tell my mom when the moon was growing to a full, he said, clip that girl's ends of her hair.
28:05
Cassandra: And I was like, What?
28:06
Cassandra: She said, Because it'll grow faster.
28:08
Cassandra: So she would clip at the full as the moon was growing, you know, and planting crops and flowers, and it's amazing, you know, what he said about when the moon is full.
28:19
Cassandra: So uh I just know great things are gonna happen.
28:23
Cassandra: So out of those seven sections, is there one particular one that you struggle with?
28:32
Aneta: You know, reading back the chapters, and I'm gonna name the sections quickly.
28:37
Aneta: Okay.
28:38
Aneta: Um, section one is faith foundations, section two is divine surrender, section three is purpose and calling, section four is divine provision, section five is transformation and growth, section six is living in love, and section seven is divine resilience.
28:59
Aneta: Yeah, and um it's interesting because I feel like as I was reading through, I could see because I have my journal entries and they're all different dates, I was like, wow, it's so nonlinear.
29:12
Aneta: Like I would see myself being in such a great place, feeling so good.
29:16
Aneta: And then, oh my gosh, how am I still reliving the same experience?
29:20
Aneta: How am I still have scarcity mindset?
29:23
Aneta: Why am I still worried about money?
29:26
Aneta: You know, how am I so like all of these things where I was like, wow, how is this still a lesson that I'm going through?
29:34
Aneta: And so there's a couple that I know I struggle with is um scarcity at times, is like always worrying, like, can I give everything over to God, including finances and money?
29:47
Aneta: Even though I've always been taken care of, it's just it's a crazy thing.
29:51
Aneta: It could be generational, I'm not sure.
29:53
Aneta: Yeah, um I think uh, you know, releasing control.
29:57
Aneta: So there's this natural inkling for me to hold on to certain things and to think that I need to do it myself before I get the point of desperation when I finally surrender, and then God's like, okay, I've been waiting for you.
30:08
Aneta: Here you go.
30:09
Aneta: And then um, and then I have a chapter.
30:13
Aneta: Um I have a chapter uh about Mary and Martha and the story of the two sisters where um you know Martha is just worked herself up.
30:25
Aneta: She is so upset because she is just trying to serve the Lord and cook and clean.
30:30
Aneta: And she's like, tell Mary to come help me, right?
30:33
Aneta: Like she and she's like, No, I won't, because she's sitting at my feet and she's listening, and I won't always be here.
30:40
Aneta: And she's just the right thing to do.
30:43
Aneta: And so there's a chapter where I just my journal entry says I'm marthing my way through life again.
30:49
Aneta: And I think that's this, you know, heavy masculine energy of achievement and go, go, go.
30:55
Aneta: Um, it's in my nature.
30:57
Aneta: I think it's a learning condition from my family, and it's something that um I continue to work on, reminding myself the rest is not lazy, that rest is needed, the pausing and reflection is important.
31:11
Aneta: And so those are some of my big lessons.
31:15
Aneta: But you know, there are 35 chapters, so there are at least 35 lessons in here.
31:19
Cassandra: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
31:21
Cassandra: And and I'm I'm glad you even talked about your your doubts and you're still a work in process because a lot of us we compare, you know.
31:30
Cassandra: So we listen to you today, my listeners are like, wow, she really has it together, you know.
31:36
Cassandra: Um, and and and you can remember probably being in corporate where I used to have people say, Oh, I wish I was you.
31:42
Cassandra: I wish I could, I wish I could do like you.
31:45
Cassandra: And and I was like, sweetheart, if you only knew what I went through to get to where I am today, no, you would not want to be me.
31:54
Cassandra: And so say something about that, how we compare ourselves to people, it keeps us stuck.
31:59
Aneta: Oh my gosh, Cassandra, there's a chapter, of course.
32:02
Aneta: This is like every time I talk to people, I'm like, I've got a chapter for this.
32:05
Aneta: Um, right.
32:06
Aneta: So uh I don't have it all together because every day is different, and it's just the fact that I just know I don't have to do it alone.
32:13
Aneta: That's the whole point.
32:15
Aneta: Um, so before Jesus died, and we knew he knew he was gonna be crucified, he was walking with Peter, and he was he was telling all of his the disciples, like, here's my your assignment.
32:27
Aneta: Here's I'm leaving, here's your assignment.
32:30
Aneta: Um, and he was talking to Peter and he's telling him, you know, you're gonna be the rock that the church is built on, right?
32:36
Aneta: Like all of the stuff that we know about Peter.
32:38
Aneta: And then Peter sees John and he says, Okay, Lord, but what about him?
32:44
Aneta: And and and Jesus says to Peter, don't worry about him.
32:49
Aneta: If I want him to stay with me until the end of time, like why does it matter to you?
32:54
Aneta: And it's just an example of the fact that even Peter, who I love so much, who represents so many of us, yes, even he, when you know, the Lord is saying, This is your assignment, this is what I want you to do this for the rest of your life.
33:11
Aneta: He wants to know, well, but what about John?
33:14
Aneta: What are you gonna have John do?
33:15
Aneta: And it's like, that's our story, the human condition.
33:18
Aneta: We don't say, This is mine, I'm gonna do the best that I can, I'm gonna honor my mission.
33:23
Aneta: We're always curious, what are they doing?
33:26
Aneta: What did you tell them to do?
33:27
Aneta: How are they doing?
33:29
Aneta: What are they blessed with?
33:30
Aneta: How many followers?
33:31
Aneta: What are you know, how much money are they making?
33:34
Aneta: Whatever the thing is.
33:35
Aneta: And it's like that's not what we're supposed to do.
33:39
Aneta: We're supposed to focus on our assignment because we all are here for a different reason.
33:44
Aneta: So eight billion people, there's no way I could take care of all of them, no way you can.
33:50
Aneta: So there is no competition.
33:51
Aneta: We each just do the best that we can with what we've been given, and we'll be okay.
33:56
Cassandra: That's correct.
33:57
Cassandra: That's correct.
33:58
Cassandra: And I and I always say if if we're living, he's not done.
34:03
Cassandra: Right?
34:04
Cassandra: Yeah, yeah.
34:05
Cassandra: So we still have have work to do, you know?
34:07
Cassandra: And yeah, and I think I know the book, the Bible, I always say basic instructions before leaving earth is my acronym for the Bible.
34:18
Cassandra: And it is a fascinating book.
34:23
Cassandra: And there is a an actor, Denzel Washington, one day I heard him say, people like, what book was the last book you read?
34:30
Cassandra: And what's a good book?
34:31
Cassandra: And he says, I never read books.
34:33
Cassandra: All I read is the Bible.
34:34
Cassandra: And I was like, Oh my gosh, that's very interesting.
34:37
Cassandra: And that's what works for him.
34:39
Cassandra: But it if you read, and if if if you just surrender, it's amazing what the word will get you to, it's just amazing how it gets inside.
34:56
Cassandra: And you'd be like, wow, it's like they know just what I'm going through.
34:59
Cassandra: How in the world can they know that?
35:01
Cassandra: This is the story I needed to hear.
35:03
Cassandra: You know, I needed to hear that Joseph's um Pharaoh's um wife was trying to get with with Pharaoh, you know, it wasn't Pharaoh Joseph.
35:12
Cassandra: Yeah.
35:12
Cassandra: He says, Oh, so okay, so it was really her, it wasn't me, you know, so just the things that are happening and and how he killed one of the one of the um Egyptians, you know.
35:25
Cassandra: So everything that's going on today has happened in the Bible.
35:31
Aneta: Yeah, it's so interesting because it's alive.
35:34
Aneta: Like when I read, when I am connected and in alignment, and when the world is quieter and I allow myself to just read, there is so much inspiration because it's alive.
35:48
Aneta: The word is alive.
35:49
Aneta: And I think for me, I've spent so much time and I read a lot of self-help books, and I've studied, I said, you know, yoga and meditation and all these things.
35:58
Aneta: And yet I just find that the greatest wisdom comes from scripture, and there are stories, and it never fails that I'm always given the scripture that I need at the right time.
36:11
Aneta: And even in writing this book, um, the last chapter came to me in a dream.
36:16
Aneta: God said, Call it coming home.
36:19
Aneta: And uh, I want it to be the story of the prodigal son.
36:22
Aneta: And um it's yeah, and then the other one came in a dream.
36:28
Aneta: Um, it was a story about the woman who was bleeding for 12 years, and her faith, you know, told her, if I just touch the hem of his garment, I will be feeled, I will be healed.
36:39
Aneta: And um, so it's that you know, that faith that activates you know the spirit.
36:45
Aneta: Yeah, and um, so it's just amazing.
36:48
Aneta: And I think that with this book, it is not dogmatic, it is not telling anyone what to believe, but I hope that what it does is it creates more conversation and it gives people permission that they could be in the word and they don't need anyone else to tell them what it means, that it is available for them, that there is something relevant, that it's not this really hard, dense thing that we can't interpret.
37:13
Aneta: And um, and I hope that we have many more conversations because we learn by talking to one another.
37:21
Cassandra: That's true, that's true.
37:23
Cassandra: And that's why you say um scripture still matters today in today's world.
37:29
Cassandra: So I love how you put that.
37:32
Aneta: Yes, yes, and it's less exhausting, it's less exhausting to try to like ask for help and to know that we're created to be in communion with our creator than it is to try to you know manifest our way through our own means.
37:49
Aneta: I mean, it's just exhausting.
37:51
Cassandra: It is, it really is.
37:54
Cassandra: Aneta, how can my listeners get your book and get in touch with you?
38:01
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh.
38:02
Speaker 1: Well, I would love it.
38:03
Speaker 1: Um, it is available on Amazon.
38:05
Speaker 1: You can search for my name, you can search for lanterns of light.
38:09
Speaker 1: It's available on Kindle and then paperback.
38:12
Speaker 1: And um, if you want to get in touch with me, my um website
38:16
Aneta: It's probably the easiest way. So you just got to my name, AnetaandETAKuzma,K-U-Z-M-A.com, and um, you can find all the details about the book, about you know, scheduling time with me, um, about all the other things that I'm up to, or joining the newsletter if you'd like.
38:35
Cassandra: And and something else I want to say is, and for my listeners as well, you may get unstuck and start doing what it is that your you your purpose is.
38:48
Cassandra: You you can you can do that, but what I will say, once you do that, there's gonna be more.
38:55
Cassandra: So don't think after you wrote that book or opened that business or got through with a relationship or whatever, don't think that's that you've arrived, that that's it, because they will be more as long as you're living.
39:10
Aneta: That's right.
39:11
Aneta: And how wonderful is that! Like that's so exciting.
39:13
Aneta: We don't know, and that's part of the path.
39:16
Aneta: That's part of like the lantern doesn't light the whole path, it only lights what you need to know for today.
39:21
Aneta: And we always want to know the whole story, don't we?
39:24
Aneta: We want to know what the end of the movie is gonna be and all those things, but my god, there's so much excitement on the journey itself.
39:30
Aneta: We've we just allow it to be.
39:32
Cassandra: It really is, it really is.
39:34
Cassandra: Anita, thank you so much.
39:36
Cassandra: I could I could just sit down and I'm not a coffee drinker, but I will sit down and and have some tea with you, and we could just talk and talk and talk because this this is for me, it's very refreshing.
39:48
Cassandra: And I know for a lot of my listeners, it's very refreshing.
39:51
Cassandra: And I encourage my listeners to share this podcast with someone that they know that this will bless them, particularly when you come home to yourself and what a difference it will make in the lives of many.
40:05
Cassandra: So I just want to thank you again.
40:07
Cassandra: God bless you, Anita, and to all of my listeners.
40:11
Cassandra: God bless you.
40:13
Cassandra: And I always say bye for now.
40:16
Cassandra: And I will, I'm on every Wednesday.
40:20
Cassandra: I would encourage you to continue to listen to this podcast so you can also rise and be and start living your purpose and coming home to yourself.
40:31
Cassandra: God bless you.
40:31
Cassandra: Thank you, Anita.
40:33
Aneta: God bless Cassandra.
40:34
Aneta: Thank you.