A Purpose-filled Life | Tyra Garlington

When society and reality clash

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Let me start by saying I am blessed! For most of my life, I have had everything I needed and a lot of what I wanted. However, there have been seasons when I was homeless, unemployed and critically ill. Even in those times, I was aware that God’s grace was ever present in my life. Those seasons were also opportunities to review, renew, adjust and reposition my perspective. My commitment to serve began to increase. In doing so, I learned to look behind the words that judge and images that redirect. And I found hope. Consider the story that follows.……
Read More »

Let our life speak for itself

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

This week I am sharing another pearl of wisdom I picked up while I was away. It comes through the pen of author Parker, J. Palmer in his book, Let your life Speak. It is a moving meditation on the question, “Is the life I am living the same as the life that wants to live in me?” “We arrive in this world with birthright gifts – then we spend the first half of our lives admonishing them or letting others disabuse us of them. As young people, we are surrounded by expectations that may have little we to do……
Read More »

Did you miss me?

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

I had to go away for a while. I was losing focus. I was listening to the voice of numbers. The number of “likes,” “comments,” and “shares” became the main objective of my blog. I wanted lots; I wanted more. I had forgotten why I do what I do. Shame on me! It took me a while to recognize and say, “Yes” to God’s purpose for me. And when I finally did, my tears dried, my burdens were unloaded, and my joy was restored. I walked out of my lonely wilderness and into my worthiness. However, the critical success factor……
Read More »

Do you care about your image?

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

“Even when our masks irritate our skin, and we can’t relax or be ourselves, we still resist change. This epic performance is a huge drain on our minds, bodies, and souls. It’s a hard act to constantly pretend to be, or feel like you need to be, someone else. Similarly, it’s very draining to regularly act like you feel one way when you really feel another. Wearing a mask protects us from vulnerability. I fear that if I stand tall and exposed, I’ll be “weak” in some way. But when you wear a mask you stand in resistance to your……
Read More »

Tell me about yourself.

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

At cocktail parties, an interview, or when meeting a new colleague for the first time, that question, or one like it, is the most common opening line to a conversation. Suppose you have you have 30 seconds to motivate someone new to want to know you better. How do most people answer it? How would you answer it? When someone asks you to tell them about yourself, think about how to paint a picture of you that inspires feelings in people, that is unique, exciting, and memorable. Consider the context and choose what you want to highlight accordingly. Tell your story……
Read More »

Don’t look too closely.

Posted on July 19, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

The famous French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes, also known as the Father of Modern Philosophy, said the words “I think therefore I am.” We have a large body of mental health research that supports the fact that our thoughts are our most powerful force. “When you step out your door to face the world, you are a force to be reckoned with. You are confident, determined, and very much in control in most areas of your life. This is your dominant mask that the world sees, and to others, you can be quite intimidating! You chase your dreams and get……
Read More »

Being you is the right thing to do.

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Sitting in the large stadium enjoying the commencement festivities, I watched graduates exchange enthusiastic handshakes for rolled-up pieces of paper symbolizing the successful end of a season. Apparently graduates brought along their own cheering section with specific instructions on how and what to scream. In the midst of the noise, the echoes in my mind traveled back to my graduation day at Ohio State University. As I walked across the stage, I looked down at my beautiful engagement ring and squeezed the simulated diploma. I just knew that I was walking into that happily ever after I had been waiting……
Read More »

Every day is immediate.

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

I like to greet the morning with gratitude. I intentionally focus on my body celebrating that I can move, see, feel, think, hear and care. I am aware it didn’t have to be this way and I remember there was a season when it wasn’t. Then as I tune into messages from the world, I long for a day without war, a time where empathy is an effective weapon against hate and when all human life is considered worthy. Apparently not yet. Sometimes my sense of powerlessness to make things better feels like grief. It was like that Sunday. I……
Read More »

What are you leaving behind?

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

“The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.”[1] Was Cicero profiling you? “I will never forget the gut-level conviction he had that we are all expressions of God and that we all should step up and live our God selves. And now that he is gone, I remember the haunting lines of a song he sang beautifully though he did not write, What if God was one of us?”[2] This is Harriette Cole remembering Prince this week. Based on what I have researched and heard since his death leads me to believe that Prince’s biggest……
Read More »

Are you in need of your immediate inner strength?

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

She had disappeared from my life years ago. I was so happy to hear her voice. She had been a wonderful friend to me in my time of need. Her story unfolded amongst sobs. I listened. She recently became singular as a result of rejection from her significant other. She was unemployed, about to be homeless and estranged from her only daughter. I listened. The few times I asked, “Have you…?” Her response was, “I can’t because…” I realized her pain had her stuck in anger and shame. I was reminded of how proud she was. She was used to……
Read More »