Envy

“Envy isn’t always about beauty, power, or wealth… people can envy you because you love yourself.” ~Angela Shannon Ponder


Greetings Readers!


I have a question. How dare you?


How dare you be someone worth admiring? How dare you be intelligent? How dare you be gifted? How dare you have the ability to effectively communicate? How dare you have less than me, yet still make me feel as though I don’t have enough? How dare you have strengths that make me feel as though you have exposed my weaknesses? How dare you not acknowledge and celebrate me, despite my blatant refusal to celebrate you? How dare you not dumb yourself down in my presence so I can feel important? How dare you be so secure in the knowledge of who you are? How dare you? Now, let’s talk about Envy.


You know, I have never understood exactly how envy works. Like how someone could have more than you do financially and a higher status in society, yet still envy you. It took what feels like a lifetime of learning before I realized that it isn’t even about the money, the material possessions or status, but it’s about you. Your ability to radiate a light no one can dim. Your ability to create magic from a simple thought. Your ability to excel seemingly effortlessly. Your ability to intimidate the insecurities in others. Your ability to drive people to dislike you just for being you, or could it be that favor and anointing that they see all over you? Understand this… people who are consumed by their own desperate need for validation will be aggravated by your confidence. They will throw not so subtle shade, they will find reasons to nitpick, they will be passive aggressive, they will laugh at your expense, and they will go low whenever they “sense” you are getting the upper hand, because they feel it is their duty to humble you. How dare you not feel the need to be validated, when they see you as flawed and wonder why you don’t seem to view yourself the same? They watch you relentlessly, because they can’t help themselves, but are completely unaware that you see them.

Let’s be honest, envy is nothing more than intense feelings of disappointment redirected and aimed at someone else. That is called displaced dissatisfaction. It is projection. Envy comes in all forms, from success, to physical appearance, to popularity, to intellect and competence, to opportunities, to God-given gifts and the list is truly endless. It all starts with the mind games they play on themselves when they look at others as either competition or a come up. They start to watch and compare, and we all know that comparison is the thief of joy, right? They are so caught up and fixated on others, they refuse to deal with the fact that their misery is the direct result of not dealing with their unaddressed childhood trauma. It has nothing to do with anyone else. If someone else’s blessings and gifts make you feel some type of way, go seek some help.


Social media doesn’t make things any easier. In fact, it only intensifies those feelings of inadequacy and diminishing self-worth, especially if all they do is sit around watching the pages of people they actually admire, trying to find the imperfections in their lives and in their relationships. Looking for ways to critique and criticize and throw more shade than a cloudy day, because after all, it’s got to be fake anyway. No one is THAT happy. Searching for traces in a post that prove you feel the same way about them as they feel about you, because they desperately need to know that their bad behavior is justified. Feeling targeted by social media posts and memes, because they read them through the lens of a perpetual victim. Hanging out in someone’s stories but never liking a post on their page, as if they’re invisible? We all know that no one watches you harder than someone who cannot stand you, but still wants to know what you are up to. How about the ones who read your posts and never acknowledge them online but will bring them up the very next time they see or talk to you. People who refuse to show public support for you, do so because they secretly don’t like you or have been privately discussing you. Engage your spiritual discernment and don’t waste another drop of energy on people who do not add value to your life.

Do you ever wonder why some people act peculiar towards you, especially around others? Why they seem to avoid you, never speaking first or acknowledging that you are even present at all? When you know you have done nothing wrong, yet they treat you like you stole their inheritance, don’t doubt that what you are seeing is envy. You see envy has nothing to do with money, power, title, education, social status, or influence. Envy at its very core, is knowing you possess something they do not feel you are worthy of having, regardless of what it may be. It’s not what you do, it’s the fact that it’s YOU. Maybe people love on you publicly, maybe you can work a room gliding through with ease, maybe, just maybe you are a creative beast while they struggle to come up with the first idea. Sometimes people will look down on you to make you feel like they do. Envy will smolder below the surface for so long that folks will forget WHY they don’t like you, but they will never forget that it’s true. Bless their hearts.


Let’s wrap this… it’s always been said that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, but I think it’s just a lack of ambition borrowing from another’s genius without permission. The envious don’t know any different, so all they know to do is attempt to duplicate the vision. It’s quite irritating but remember, they can always copy, but the paste will never equal. They could never create a sequel. It will never be as profound or moving trying to do what you are successfully doing. It will never be as authentic as the original, so when you find yourself surrounded by a sea of envy, accept that there is something special about your potential.

It was beautiful day to shoot this concept, right at the golden hour. We are grateful that the beautiful, Asia Moore was present to represent beauty, grace, and humility in the most amazing way. She is one of our FAVS and someone who has absolutely been on the receiving end of envious behavior, but still she thrives! We hope you enjoy this post entitled, “Envy” and all of the images from that concept. Thank you for your indulgence.

MUA: 
Tynita Lee
Booking Info:MakeUpbyTynita@gmail.com or 

Makeup by Tynita on Schedulicity.com
Instagram: @makeup_by_tynita


As always, thank you SO much for visiting our blog. Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder.


Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!

Angela
The Creative Director

Elevation

 “Sometimes the only way to transform from ordinary to extraordinary is during periods of isolation. Even the caterpillar knows the way to experience elevation.” ~Angela Shannon Ponder

Greetings Readers!

Excuse me while I take a moment to Reflect.

When I look back over my life, I recognize that I have learned many critical lessons… some good and some not so much, especially over the last decade or so. I’ve learned a lot about myself, what I like and what I don’t like, what brings me peace and what disturbs my spirit. I’ve also learned a lot about people. How they can distract you and throw you off course and how they can drain your energy stores if you let them. Each new year brings me greater understanding of my purpose and reveals to me a clearer path to get there. However, just when I think I am making a little bit of progress, here come the distractions again. Now don’t get me wrong, I do realize they have purpose as well, but I had to learn to balance my life and put all things that did not add value in their proper places. To do that it required me to have an elevation kind of mindset.


My peace is Resolute.

Let me tell you a little bit about peace. Peace is comforting. It’s calming. When the world is full of noise and gloom, peace is like a soothing sound in a silent room. Peace is preserving and once you get a taste of it, you will refuse to allow anyone in your life that threatens to disturb it. Yet there is one important aspect about peace that we should understand… not everyone knows how to access it for themselves. There are those who will even try to engage with a catalyst thinking they can help them crack the code. Truth be told, there are some really unhappy people in this world who are struggling with the absence of discipline, a lack of ambition, low self-esteem, fear and the inability to improve their own quality of life through skill, intellect or creativity. These same people will, unbeknownst to you, make YOU the object of their misery, simply because they can see the joy you are experiencing in your life and they don't know how to tap into it. NEVER let them draw you into their circus or make you feel bad about being happy. You are neither the source or the solution for their issues, so leave them with the freedom and opportunity to figure things out on their own. Be at peace with placing distance between you. Be okay with walking away. Their internal battle is not your concern. One thing I know for certain… at this stage in MY life, I refuse to pacify anyone else’s paranoia or insecurities to provide them with a plethora of peace.

My energy is a Resource.

Elevation sometimes requires you to go into isolation. It is occasionally necessary for you to step away so you can heal from experiences that may have left you bruised, reflect on possibilities, and discover new and exciting opportunities. It calls for you to step aside so you can prioritize you: your peace, your purpose and your passions. You are deserving, especially when you assess just how many demands you have on your time. Personally speaking, I am intentionally impactful in all of my efforts, so if I am called to fall back, my energy is missed. However, instead of me redirecting my energy to my own hopes and dreams in that moment, I tend to give it away, sometimes to people who are not even worthy of it. So many people need you, they lean on you for advice and guidance, your creative mind, your structure, your resources… you know, your time, talent and treasure. Yet with all that you have going on, sometimes you neglect a major part of your life that needs your attention in order for you to advance to your next level. Do you want to know what that is? YOUR GOALS. You are distracted daily, and going into solitude every now and then will help you recalibrate and silence the noise that continues to grab your attention. The noise that is diverting you from doing what you need to do for yourself, to instead do what you feel you have to do for others. So how can you elevate if you rarely devote the time? Let’s go deeper.

Let your decision be Resounding.

Be intentional. Elevation requires separation. It’s not personal, it’s purposeful. In other words, make time for yourself. Today… give yourself grace for the unhealthy patterns and decisions that you have made in life that disturbed your peace or prevented your progress. Going forward, honor order in your life and remove yourself from the company of anyone who creates disruption. Make it a point to not retain toxic ties. For your own well-being, they must be severed as soon as they are identified. Get to a place where you no longer waste energy where reciprocation is not respected. Remember that empty vessels in need of a refill are in search of someone like you for a fill up… never pour from an empty cup. They are not entitled to your abundance, so if you are not consciously and selectively supplying from an overflow, tell them, “NO.” Be authentic and true, because authenticity produces confidence, empowerment and alignment. Unauthentic people do not understand that assignment. Stop feeling guilty for your ambitions. You don’t owe anyone else anything and guilt will only give way to opportunists who come with an agenda… and the gag is, their intentions will never benefit YOU. Finally, stop waiting around for a handclap of praise. Learn to succeed without being affirmed and validated, clap for yourself when you need to be celebrated, and take time away to prepare to be elevated. You owe it to yourself.

We are so grateful that the gorgeous Tomecka Patterson joined us for this concept! Tomecka has a uniquely powerful presence about her that is so emerging that she just seems to jump off the page, yet in a quiet and peaceful way if that makes sense? She is like that “soothing sound in a silent room” and we absolutely LOVE working with her! We hope these words and images from our concept entitled, “Elevation” resonate. Until next time, enjoy!

MUA: 
Tynita Lee
Booking Info:
MakeUpbyTynita@gmail.com
Makeup by Tynita on Schedulicity.com
Instagram: @makeup_by_tynita


As always, thank you SO much for visiting our blog. Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder.


Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!

Angela
The Creative Director