SHUTDOWN!!!

by Akua Boateng

Shutdown – shut-down ~ /‘SHət,doun/ (n.)

1.  a closure of a factory or system, typically a temporary closure due to a malfunction or for maintenance.

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Stop. It’s a word that at times elicits a response of resistance to many. The negative connotation that we sense from hearing it so many times takes us back to times where our inferiority was called to attention and situations have dominated our ability.

Synonymous to stop, shutdown speaks of the closure of a system. Whether voluntary or mandatory, it is the temporary halting of an established way of operating. It is when a system stops. Terminates previous function. Pauses. A reset.

A shutdown allows for a reset…even of the soul.

Many of us run through life affixing our allegiances to jobs, people, ideas and system; often spiraling into tired, overworked, remised individuals. We give so much of ourselves without taking time to have our own system rest. Allow the shutdowns of life to make room for rest and realignment.

Take the trip to the park that you have been promising your kids. Make a homemade pizza, discover new melodies or become a stargazer. Find rest for your soul. Isn’t that what you been longing for…time and rest?

Just as the seasons come and go, this time will flow on the same way it came. Savor this moment as the spiritual and physical maintenance that you desperately desire. Experience a book on the breeze-filled patio, write something that you are passionate about and realign the connection to your creator.

“Be still and know that He is God”

It’s often something that we resist and never find time to do. Take full inventory of your life and check your alliances. Make a commitment to change your mode of functioning. Rest. Realign. Reset.

Happy Birthday!

By Akua Boateng

Birthdays are perfect times reflection
and evaluation. Are you still growing?

Today I look back on the years that I have been privileged to live. As I think of the many decisions that I have made both good and bad…I must declare that life has been good. As I grow chronologically and physically, I have to ask myself, "Have I grown emotionally and spiritually in the same or greater measure?" After all, since the day I was born, I have developed exponentially in stature, autonomy and capacity. I've read, wrote, computed, created and have been degreed. But is there something I might have missed? 

When I was a child, I was open to the world and its wonder. I trusted openly and connected authentically. As I grew, I was faithfully committed to the possibility of the future and thought of it as an adventure park waiting to be explored and conquered by me. I spoke my mind and was comfortable within my own skin. I knew I was an irreplaceable gift to the world. I was committed to my internal and external growth. 

Today, I take a glance back and ask myself, "Has the openness, trust, wonder and commitment to the possibilities of my destiny grown? Or have I just grown physically and left this part of me behind? Do I still try to master things within, and conquer obstacles set before me?"

We are bigger, stronger and older…but are we enriching the template of internal growth that God initially placed within us? 

Grow! From the top of your head to the tips your toes. 

Grow! From your brain capacity and depth to the imagination that expresses the complexity of it. 

Grow! From the playground to the boardroom.

Grow. All of you. 

After all…that kid inside of you may have been right…you're an irreplaceable gift to the world! 

Happy Birthday...




A therapist by profession, Akua Opoku-Boateng provides career and life coaching to teens and young adults. Yesterday, Akua celebrated her ??th birthday! You can follow her on twitter @kweeOlogy and maybe she'll tell you exactly how young she is. Be sure to subscribe to get the latest updates from Akua and the other Growth Specialists in  The Growth Network.  

The Tornadoes…Within

By Akua Boateng

I am from California. Born and raised. So when I moved to Alabama I was amazed by tornadoes. I still remember my first one. I was extremely vigilant and terrified listening to the weather updates from underneath my storm approved hiding place.

As the catastrophic winds would blow, destroying the once inhabited places, I could never imagine getting “used to this.”

Unlike me, the native southerners often would have storm kits and action plans prepared for the season that came annually. For they had already experienced so many tornadoes in the past they knew what to do.  They had experienced this scary and emotionally stunning time before and now had grown to anticipate it.

Many of us have experienced (or are experiencing) tornadoes...within. Whether it is paralyzing uncertainty about the future, unrelenting thoughts from the past or frustrating confusion about the present, these internal emotional tornadoes seek to destroy whatever is established in its path. However, those who have an “emotional storm kit” and shelter for safety prepared often come out without as much damage.

Likened to a tornado storm kit, your emotional storm kit needs to include these 3 key essentials:

1. Non-perishables- Hope, Laughter and Past Survival Recollection
2. Flashlight – Spiritual Connection and Guidance
3. Radio – only authorized, beneficial, spiritual counsel to help you through internal crisis  (friends/family)

Emotionally growing people anticipate the tornadoes within that come with the growth process. However, they continue to thrive and progress after the storm because they had prepared themselves to adapt to the difficult life changes. Although they experience damage sometimes (we all do), a minor repair compared to rebuilding is the contrast. Are you prepared?

  Akua Opoku-Boateng is a clinical therapist turned youth career coach in Northeast Alabama. She has a passion for seeing individuals experience emotional growth & restoration. Read her full bio here. Otherwise, follow her on Twitter@kweeOlogy, and be sure to look for more of her posts on emotional growth regularly here on The Growth Network blog.