We all have an innate intelligence within us designed to guide us to vibrant health and authentic happiness. Our body is always striving towards wellness. Just as a cut heals itself, you don’t have to think about making it heal, it happens with just a little TLC. We are also made to creatively express ourselves by fulfilling our desires and following our joy. Imagine that! We are designed to for pleasure.
We are designed to thrive when we fully express our desires and live passionately.
We were all born knowing this. We see it when young children express themselves. This is why we are so drawn to children, because it reminds us of this knowing.
So why aren’t we all walking around in a state of bliss?
Most of us have forgotten and buried this truth. It was conditioned out of us as we grew into the world around us. Don’t color outside the lines. Conform. What will the neighbors think? Keep up with the Jones’. Our parents and elders were doing what they thought was right, what they were taught themselves. Unfortunately, conforming to the “norm” pulls us away from our authentic self.
Well, it’s time to remember. It’s time to get out of our heads and get reacquainted with the passion into our hearts. We need to tap into our inner pilot light, our wise women within us. We need to practice the art self-love. We need to tell our inner mean girl to zip it up and get in the back seat. We need to find our truth.
In her acceptance of the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award, Oprah Winfrey said, “What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have”. I pose that we take that a step further and add speaking and living our truth is the most powerful thing we can do. But, in order to speak and live our truth, we need to know what that is. For most of us, we have some work to do. We need to release the old conditioning of who we think we should be so we can connect to who we really are at soul level.
Many of us have buried our truth so deep that there are many layers to peel back. Asking myself – if I could do anything, bar time, money etc…what would that be – was a pivotal moment in my life. It is when I realized that chasing “normal” was not all that is was cracked up to be.
There are many other women, the way finders, light workers, and truth seekers, who are leading the way. Regardless of where you are, know that you are exactly in the right spot. Life is not a race to a destination, it’s a journey. This is not a competition. Each of us is a unique expression of the Divine within us.
What I know for sure is when we support one another on our healing journeys, we not only heal deeply as individuals, we heal collectively. I believe that is what Gandhi meant when he said, “The world will be saved by the western woman”.
I’m not saying that we are all walking around in a complete fog about ourselves. I am suggesting that we connect with the inner light within us and ask her how she wants to be fully expressed. We all have unique, beautiful gifts to share with the world. Marie Forleo says it best, “the world needs that special gift that only you have”.
So how do we do this? How do we learn to listen to the whispers of our souls? Here are a few tips….
- Become a pleasure researcher. Think of life as a huge buffet table filled with delicious delicacies for your sensory pleasure. Taste them all. Find out what lights you up, and do more of that! Find out what weighs you down, and learn to let those things go.
- Meditate. In order to listen to the whispers of YOUR soul, you need to get quiet. There are many ways to meditate such as sitting quiet or walking in nature. I find that guided meditations work best for me. One of my favorites is the Oprah and Deepak meditation series.
- Joyful Move. I have renamed my exercise practice joyful movement. Among other things, exercise moves stagnant energy through the body. Move joyfully frequently throughout the day, every day.
- Go outside and connect with nature. Tune into your senses. Let you thoughts wander. Take note of the uniqueness and beauty in everything around you.
- Women thrive on connection. We learn through each other. We see our reflections in each other’s stories. Find a tribe of soul sisters that will help you “raise as we rise”.
It takes a lot of courage to live from the truth of who you really are. It often means taking the road less traveled. When I find myself feeling lost, Marianne Williamson’s poem helps me find my way back to the truth of who I am.
Everyday Grace
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Have you ever heard the story the older woman, who as a little girl loved to dance? She was a wonderful dancer and lit up when she moved so gracefully with the music. Unfortunately, she was told that girls are supposed to get married and raise a family, so she buried her dreams and followed the prescribed path. She had a great life and loved her family very much, but there was a part of her that felt empty deep inside her soul. She began to hear the whispers of her soul and realized that a part of her that was never fully expressed. So she got up, turned on some music and began to dance.
The moral of this story, it’s never too late for you to live your truth.
