The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you.

Your voice,

your mind,

your story,

your vision.

So write

and draw

and build

and play

and dance

and live

as only you can.

~Neil Gaiman

 

 

What isn’t mentioned is that sometimes you have to courageously stand your ground and passionately claim the right to live as only you can.

 

Fear and pain have interesting ways of manifesting themselves in my life. Not only my own fear and pain, but that of others. I still have plenty of old “stuff” that needs gentle love and attention in my world, but apparently I am to be strengthening my voice and passionate conviction in who I am. I can see how healing my old stuff includes finding my voice, but the classroom has been intensified. I am being guided to find a different balance in holding compassion while honoring me. Sounds easy….but no.

 

I have recently had an experience where words filled with fear and pain were directed at me. It was an incredibly uncomfortable experience to put it lightly. After the initial sting, shock and pain, I took pen to paper to clear my mind and get a different perspective. I saw that I had a choice to make…to fester in the pain to prolong the suffering OR to feel the feelings and offer love. Although the first option is easier (with far less desirable results), I chose the latter. Definitely not the easy choice, but the one that is deeply rooted in alignment with Spirit. If I am to trust Spirit’s presence in my life, then I also need to be willing to surrender my will.

 

There was time for processing, healing, and crying before the next encounter. Knowing what was to come, I asked Spirit for guidance, support and the ability to listen and speak from my heart. It made all the difference in the world. The conversation was uncomfortable, but grounded in truth. I was able to hear words differently without jumping to the defensive. I was able to assert my beliefs with strength and courage. If the conversation was diverted without my need being addressed, I went right back to it. I was not about to walk away feeling defeated or less than for who I am and what I believe. NO ONE has the right to do that. EVER. And that point was made clear.

I have yet to see how everything will unfold from this point onward, but I can walk away with these incredible gifts:

 

*I chose love over fear.

 

*I courageously stood up for myself.

 

*I clearly and firmly established boundaries.

 

*I stated what I needed without reservation.

 

*I held true to inviting the other person to be responsible for their actions and not taking it on as a flaw in my character.

 

*I continue to gently use my voice to speak for my heart.

 

*I trusted in Spirit and surrendered.

 

*I asked for help…from Spirit as well as others in my life.

 

*I lived. Speaking from the heart, voicing my needs, honoring my beliefs and courageously being me didn’t kill me.

 

*I have even greater faith that I can continually see, speak and listen from my heart center.

 

*I have a clearer understanding of what balance really is…which has nothing to do with minimizing me to make someone else comfortable.

 

*I have a deeper connection to trusting my own personal power…not from a space of domination but from a place of standing up for myself.

 

*I am free to be me.

 

There is more to be uncovered and revealed as I continue on my journey, but I am walking my path with greater courage, vulnerability and love.

Posted in Courage, Love, Strength