I changed my name.

not legally but spiritually. i officially go by six, a derivative of my given name alexis. alexis means defender and as an older sister and natural-born leader that rang true to who i use to be so much so that it became my downfall. i was always defending and caring for others way more than i did myself until God woke me up and helped me change course.

i remember that season vividly it was tough i had to let go of so many friends and familiar things to essentially start over and rebuild my life. this process was different, i had made the conscious effort to stop doing things my way and give it over to god. it was right before my 24th birthday and i had a serious conversation with God and told him i would surrender to his will, fully. i had no real clue what this meant but i was ready for change.

during this process, i started discovering myself— my true self. i was taking inventory of my life, reflecting and really coming to terms with who i wanted to be and how i wanted to make an impact in this world. as i began this journey i had this growing feeling that the name alexis no longer fit. i toggled between the names lex and six for a while. i would use the different names getting coffee and for food orders, i even surveyed friends to see what would felt the most natural.

i eventually came to terms with six, it was cool, creative, and was a great conversation starter. i started rebranding myself with it online and then summer of 2020 when i moved to atlanta is when i made it official on a personal level. with it being a clean slate and all, i wanted any person meeting me in this new city to know me for who i felt i truly was in the present and that was six.

it has been a year now and i not only go by six personally but professionally. i just started a new job and all my new coworkers know me by my new name and it feels really good. i feel like alexis is a completely different person than six. she is the younger version of myself — when i think of her i think of the me who wished i was the six i am today.

the angel number 6 is all about finding balance in your life. it is a sign that you are outwardly focused to the detriment of your internal, spiritual life. but also encourages you to respect yourself and others by taking responsibility for your own life and be honest and fair in all of your dealings. be grateful for what you have already, as an attitude of gratitude encourages further positive abundance into your life.

reading this had me shook because it literally described the transition i was experiencing as i was deciding on which name to choose. as i mentioned before, i used to care way more about others than myself, and tapping into six changed my focus and direction to benefit not only myself but also everyone around me.

i keep thinking about the inner turmoil i felt when i was deciding on this name change and now realize that this was a divine occurrence — you always will feel opposition when you are on the road to purpose. i am living proof that you can literally create who you want to be; i did so by changing my name and have been blown away at how my life has changed along with it. looking back on all of this just screams divinity and shows that the promptings you get are indeed divine and worth following.

becoming six has allowed me to get more acquainted and in alignment with my higher self and have the confidence to show up as her at the same time. i am so grateful for my journey thus far and very excited about how six will evolve. evolution is such a beautiful occurrence in our lives if we look at it properly.