she understood that we cannot change our yesterdays, but we can definitely change our tomorrows. Second, our circumstances are not a life sentence.
Her desire to empower and uplift women, especially mothers, to understand the magnitude of their responsibilities to their children and all children has led her to take a pen in hand. LaToyia now writes. She writes to encourage, she writes to empower and to uplift. She calls us all to turn on the light inside of us. May we follow her lead and Hatch, Leap, and Soar to amazing heights.
—Rose Rock
At the beginning of each year, I select one word to focus on. Hatch, leap, and soar were my words from 2014 to 2016. When I chose the word hatch in 2014, I had no idea how it would start a complete life overhaul and personal transformation for me.
The focus on transformation is at the heart of this book, Hatch, Leap, Soar. It is the concept of becoming who you were created to be. The idea of reaching total fulfillment, real success, and true happiness is subjective. You have to determine what those ideals mean to you. What is sure to happen, in order for you to find your own personal nirvana, are hatching, leaping, and soaring. However, all three stages of change do not happen just once. Over the course of your life, you will be hatching in some areas, leaping and taking a chance in others, while soaring in others. The process is beautiful. I relate the process to that of a baby bird inside an egg, ready to…
Hatch.
Before you can begin to change and start realizing your potential, you may find yourself safely settled in your comfort zone. In essence, you are stuck inside your shell. When you begin the process of hatching, you are defying the norm, pressing past your fears to break free. Once you’ve hatched, you will be able to see the possibilities ahead. Your mind will be open to achieving something you were born to do. You start to think, As soon as I get out of here, I will be able to do anything I set my mind to. But to literally break out of your shell, you will have to make a…
Leap.
You may take a leap of faith or a leap in a completely different direction than you have ever gone before. It is important to have faith that you are better off freed from your shell than you are stuck inside. Take the chance to propel out of your current comfort zone.
To reach the potential that everyone is given, step toward it. Opportunities and change will not suddenly materialize while you are sitting alone in your shell. Move, shake or dance—do anything that will allow you to experience life as never before. A bird cannot learn to fly by sitting pretty in its nest. A bird has to leap to learn how to…
Soar.
When you discover how to break free of the barriers you have built up over the years, you will soon soar toward the realm of your personal possibilities. You can fulfill your dreams by taking steps, one at a time, until you are soaring into higher regions. Once you take wing, your life will be transformed.
Understanding
“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.”
—Khalil Gibran
What first comes to mind when you read the word hatch? Most people imagine a baby bird hatching from its shell. On the surface, you would be spot-on. But I believe hatching is so much more. It is a process of becoming. I love this definition of hatch: “an opening of a restricted size allowing for passage from one area to another.”
I would venture to bet that you, along with thousands of other people, have a shared desire to live in a way that is meaningful. We all want to better understand our overall purpose in this thing called life. But that nugget of comprehension can be the most difficult thing for you to figure out. Then, taking the next steps to achieve it is a whole other dilemma. Not understanding how to reach your purpose can grow to be a constant underlying source of irritation, frustration, and even personal pain.
I have learned that, in due time and under the right set of circumstances, the very pain of this discomfort can, and oftentimes will, lead ultimately to an internal quest for understanding. By definition, understanding means “to have a mental grasp of or knowledge about a situation or how something works.” And isn’t that just what you are trying to figure out? The ultimate question you may be asking yourself is, How was I designed to contribute to the world? How do I take what I am and what I have and contribute my gifts to the world, all while finding a sense of fulfillment for myself?
I am not sure about you, but once I really am able to wrap my mind around an idea, there is no stopping me. Have you ever been uncertain about how to proceed and then received clarity on a matter? How much more are you able and willing to do once you gain understanding?
Since life is meant to be progressive, you are continually charged with reaching new levels, which means that you should continually seek new understandings. In fact, you are uniquely created to evolve and develop in different seasons than the person sitting next to you. It is only the failure to understand how that evolution works that can lead to an experience a sense of discomfort and pain in your life.
That pain is not meant to take you out; instead it is meant to break you out! That pain forces you to become uncomfortable to the point of doing whatever is necessary to get out of the place and space where you feel stuck. I believe that life is strategically designed so that you will ultimately arrive in a place where the pain and discomfort get to be so difficult that they push you to find understanding and clarity on how to move forward.
Within your consciousness lives a record of all of your past victories, defeats, and milestones that you have encountered throughout your life’s journey. There will be distinct moments when you will feel a prompting to press beyond into something new. This draw will lead you down the path to understanding. You can grasp the knowledge of who you are and who you have the potential to become.
If you let it, this feeling will pull you along until you realize how the things that you have learned and experienced are a part of the next level of your growth. This deep desire to find a place of understanding is the crack in your shell. It is the preparation you need for hatching and stepping out on your journey toward true fulfillment.
Hatching is about breaking through the internal shell of your life and leaving the familiar space where you usually exist. Only when you push yourself out of your comfort zone do you find an opportunity for greatness. Hatching is about recognizing that none of us were ever intended to remain in one place, or at the same level, in our lives. We all have gifts, talents, passions, and abilities that are meant to grow and develop in their own season.
When I began to think about the word hatch, I was in what I thought was a settled season of my life. I was comfortable, carrying out my day-to-day tasks and accomplishing what came naturally to me. I did not realize at the time that my predictable everyday lifestyle was the very shell from which I needed to hatch. Looking back, there were signs that my soul was seeking something new. You may be wondering, What is the problem with having a predictable life? I have a routine, I follow it, and I meet the marks that have been set for me. Here is the difference—if you do
