The most rewarding pursuit of all is being true to who you are. But being unapologetically you is a lot more challenging to embody, especially with today’s lingering influences. Join Dr. Kim R. Grimes as she creates a safe space that initiates influential conversations about being you. Dr. Kim is your friendly life coach and she’s here to guide you in your journey of uncovering your greatness and discovering your utmost potential. Let this episode empower you to uncover their greatness, find your true identity, and own who you are.
—
Watch the episode here
Listen to the podcast here
Unapologetically You: The Pursuit Of Being True To Who You Are
If You Really Knew Me
Welcome to You Are YOU, Unapologetically show. Thank you for joining me. I am so humbled and honored that you chose to be here with me and to read to my blog. I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and into the possibility of making a difference in someone’s life. I’m not looking to become famous. I want to help and serve people. If I can help one person, this show will be well worth the time and energy. Before I take a deep dive into what the show is all about, allow me to share this story with you.
The Tragedy
My husband, Lafayette Trawick, was out on a two-week field training exercise with his Army unit. I had stopped by his commander’s house to pick up a dish from the casserole I dropped off there for a church function. Somehow, it did not seem odd that Michael had come home wearing his dress blue uniform or that he pulled his wife aside for a hush conference, or that he skillfully maneuvered me into a sitting position before gently relating the news that my life was over. My beautiful high school sweetheart and husband of 21 months was dead. As Michael was speaking, I saw his lips moving but all I could hear was the beating of my heart.
It's very easy to lose yourself in today's clashing ideas, conflicting beliefs, and the flood of information that fills our lives. Share on XApparently, a hunter had made a mistake. He had mistaken my husband for a deer and shot him. How could that be? How could a man in a military uniform or the field exercise be mistaken for a deer? How could this happen to me? Killed by a poacher and illegal hunter doing a training mission. The hunter had fled the scene and left my husband to die. It’s impossible. I’m 24 years old and a widow, “How could this be? What did I do that was so wrong to deserve this? How could something so tragic happen to me? How could God take away the only and truly man that loved me truly for me?”
My pain was intensified when I realized that I had to call my family and inform them of Lafayette’s death. I had to inform his mother about what had happened. Mustering up enough strength, I made the dreaded calls. My tear-filled eyes prevented me from clearly seeing the numbers on the phone. I heard the screams and wailing as I delivered the message first to his mother, and then to my mother. Their grief robbed my body of what little strength I had left. I lost what little control I had. The room went black. Little did I know that at the burial, I would use it all over again.
The thought of leaving Lafayette at the cemetery had never entered my mind. Once it did, the screams began to feel the air. I grabbed hold of Lafayette’s coffin, clinging on to it for dear life with both hands. My oldest brother, Junius, pulled me off. I collapsed in his arms. I remember the last moment I saw Lafayette alive. I had come home and laid across the bed ready for a long rest after dropping him off on base, when my phone rang, “I need you to come back on base. I forgot my dog tags.” It was the last thing I wanted to do but I did not hesitate because I knew Lafayette needed me and his dog tags.
When I arrived at his unit, Lafayette came out right away and he lit up when he saw me. He thanked me and said, “I love you.” I gave him a kiss, hugged him and said, “I love you too.” I watched him as he walked back into the building. Little did I know then that that would be the last time I would ever hear him talk and walk again. After Lafayette’s untimely death, I act out terribly. I drank, smoked, and even dated a married man. I felt if God can take my man, then I could take someone else’s. My anger with God propelled me in making poor decisions. I shut God out of my life completely.
Poor Decisions
I had no time for him. How dare he take away the only man I ever loved and who loved me back? I wanted no parts of him. I reached the lowest low in my life. I had hit rock bottom. I hated people. I used men. I was seeking vengeance for God taking my husband away. I manipulated every man in my life. I saw them as objects and not as people. Hurting and in despair, I cussed like a sailor. I drank like the town drunk and partied every possible weekend. I ran from the hurt so I could not feel the pain and hide from the moments I remembered Lafayette.
Just his name on my lips, my heart swelled. I could not remember the last time I spoke his name and smiled. At the age of 24, my husband died and all of a sudden, it became impossible for me to define myself. Everything that made me great began to get covered up. Life stopped. It stopped feeling real and I did not know what to do with myself. I was so angry, mad, bitter, and easily frustrated by everyone around me. Life became a struggle for me. My days were full of hopelessness. I was miserable, depressed, and hurting.
The pain I felt was unbearable. To help the people around me feel my suffering, it became their own. I made sure that I heard people because I was hurting. I heard people because my emotions got out of hand and I did not know how to manage my emotions. The world that was once a familiar place became dark and I could not find my way back to the light. Before I could understand what was happening to me, my life spiraled out of control. I was 24 when the only man who ever loved me was killed. I lost everything that made my life worth living. My dreams were gone. I had no hope. I lost all sense of purpose and my desire to live was gone.
No one is better at being you than you. Share on XLosing Everything
I lost myself and my identity. I know that it’s very easy to lose yourself in clashing ideas, conflicting beliefs, and the flood of information that floods our lives every day. It’s easy to lose yourself with life because life happens every day, pain, hurt, disappointment. With society’s rigid expectations and endless opinions, self-expression and self-appreciation can feel challenging and daunting, to say the least. Every day we face life challenges, which most of the time pushes you, me, and us to dumb down, run away, hide who we are inside, and go with the flow instead of being true to ourselves.
You Are You, Unapologetically
You Are YOU, Unapologetically was created to put an end to all disparaging mindsets and thoughts that keep you hiding or running from being your authentic self. Join me in a safe space with no judgment, no repercussions, no guilt, no shame, and only respect for who you are. Join me as we have conversations about being you unapologetically because you are you. Allow me to encourage you in being you unapologetically because no one is better at being you than you. I want everyone under the sound of my voice to start being true to who you are. This is the most rewarding pursuit of all.
This show is about teaching you how to uncover your greatness, genuine passion, gifts, talents, and utmost potential. I want our readers to receive what many dreams of attaining to know their true purpose and the real meaning of their lives. You Are YOU, Unapologetically, what does it mean? It means being true to how you are created, how you were created, and why you were created. Why were you allowed to come into this world? It’s all about allowing people’s opinions to affect. It’s all about you not allowing people’s opinions to affect how you show up at night or this present moment.
No matter what you do or do not do, people are going to talk about you. Let them talk. What you do not have is time to waste being intimidated by the presence of others and thinking little of yourself. Know this, when you show up without pretense, hesitation or worrying about what others will say, then the world can’t delve into your glamour or dim your light. Most importantly, when you show up being you, you will be empowered to shine your light, share your love and help others to tap into their own greatness.
This show will empower you to uncover your own greatness, to find your true identity, and own why you were created. This show was designed to show our readers how to fall madly in love with who you are. No one wants to feel unloved or be misunderstood. No one wants to be alone. I want you to know that you are not alone. I want you to tap into your innermost being and own what makes you unique, different, and special. Your ability to be highly confident in who you are is asleep deep within you. I want to wake it up. Instead of saying, “It’s sleeping,” I like to say, “It’s covered up.” I’m going to help you uncover it. I’m going to help you uncover your greatness.
Allow me to support, serve, call you out of mediocrity, and dare you to leap into the possibility of being you. Allow me to encourage you to do what you have never done before and own who you are. I will introduce you to people who have been where you are. You are reading one now, me. People who know the journey, have been there, done that, and who are still on the journey, together, we will provide step-by-step guides, exercises, techniques, and principles for you to devour. We will offer you an action plan that will trigger a mindset shift and push you beyond your limiting beliefs. I’m challenging you and everyone under the sound of my voice to step into a possibility and soar higher than ever before.
This is the empowerment we all need to connect to our true selves and live in our greatness. This is the day that you take back what is rightfully yours, your greatness. This is the day that you will walk bolder in your greatness and stand tall in your brilliance because You Are YOU, Unapologetically and you do not owe anyone an apology for being you because there is no one better at being you than you. The question is, “How can you make a mistake when being you?” You cannot because you are not a mistake. You Are YOU, Unapologetically. That’s it. That is my story and I’m sticking to it. That is what this show is all about. Will you join me?
When you show up without pretense or hesitation or worrying about what others will say, then the world can't delve into your glamour; the world can't dim your light. Share on XBefore I forget, the story I shared at the beginning of the show, I had an opportunity to share it and more in a book called Unbreakable Spirit: Rising Above the Impossible. I co-authored the book with Lisa Nichols and 38 ambassadors of Fortitude. I did not share this story to sell you the book. That is not it. I’m sharing the story because I want my readers to know what I have been through and accomplished by the grace of God. I’m here to share my ups, downs, failures, and wins in my life, and how was I able to uncover my greatness. Devastated, I dealt with anxiety, mental issues, anger, bitterness, loneliness, self-pity, and shame almost every single day.
I was furious at the world but by uncovering my greatness and focusing on my unique gifts, talents, and abilities, I fell madly in love with the true power within me. As a transformational coach, mentor, life-changing speaker, author, ordained minister, and wife, I was blessed with another husband. His name is Lionel. For many years, he has been my husband. I am dedicating the rest of my days to serving others, especially youth and young adults. It’s my passion. It’s the reason why I was created but I serve all people.
I am determined to help all people live abundantly to overcome their fears and realize their dreams. Despite my many achievements, I am still hard at work, uncovering my greatness, and nurturing my gifts and talents. I know you can do the same and go beyond what you can think and imagine. For those who, by chance, want to know the rest of my story, as well as all the empowering stories in that book, it’s available on my website at KimRGrimes.com. I hope that you had enjoyed this show. Thank you for being here. I truly appreciate and honor your time. Join me on the next episode, where I will share the why behind You Are YOU, Unapologetically, which is titled, The Lack of Self-Love. Thanks. Enjoy. God bless.