Gratitude Focus: Today, I’m Grateful For Being Comfortable With Who I Am

Reflection/Why I’m Grateful:

I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on my life—where I spend my time, where I don’t, and why that matters. One thing I wrote about some time ago still rings true: people often want you to be successful, just not too successful. Not wildly successful. Not so successful that you stop fitting neatly into their expectations.

I’m very intentional about where I invest my time and energy. I choose spaces and causes because I’m passionate about them, because they align with my heart—not because I feel obligated. Over the years, I’ve had plenty of conversations where people suggested I was obligated to do certain things because of the station I occupy. I’ve always thought differently about that.

My only true obligation is to God—to honor Him. When I search the corridors of my heart and look back over my life, I’m reminded that when you don’t line up with what society says you should do, people form opinions quickly. But here’s what I know: if I had lined up the way society suggested, I wouldn’t have fulfilled God’s purpose for my life. I wouldn’t have had the focus or the freedom to do the work I was called to do—and I’m still doing it.

That clarity has made me deeply conscientious about how and where I spend my time. I don’t outsource that decision to anyone else. I’ve had people try to dictate my choices, or frown because I didn’t show up in certain ways, at certain times, or at levels they expected. And that’s okay.

It takes real confidence to know yourself well enough to go against the current. But sometimes faith requires exactly that.


“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” - Galatians 1:10 (NIV)

 

Hi, I’m Orvin Kimbrough, volunteer, board director, chairman, and CEO. I help professionals move from feeling stuck to being strengthened by reshaping how they think, lead, and live. My work focuses on confidence, leadership, and influence through mindset shifts, expanded networks, and bold, values-aligned action. My perspective is rooted in lived experience, from growing up in foster care to leading complex institutions as a CEO and shaped by faith, resilience, and a deep belief in human potential.

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Books for Every Stage

Twice Over a Man

A memoir often described as a leadership guide wrapped in an honest, relatable story of perseverance, healing, and growth. It explores how pain can be reframed into purpose and how ordinary people build meaningful lives through courage and clarity.

More Than a Conqueror

Written for teens and young adults, this book encourages confidence, resilience, and identity formation during the years when self-belief is being shaped.

Ward and the State

A children’s book that gently introduces big ideas like belonging, courage, and hope, helping young readers see themselves as more than their circumstances

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Tags: Gratitude