You - Who ?
You are born, you are told who to be, how to act, what your name is. We get so steeped in society’s rules and regulations we don’t realize – we are living what’s meant to be OUR lives with a rule book written by others.
We live the same lives again and again every year – we travel to new places, buy bigger houses, and new cars. But inside we are no different. Inside our hearts grow smaller and smaller with fear and anxiety because we can’t say what we really feel and are suffocating with sadness. We’re upset because the Jonses are doing better than us this year – or our child hasn’t made the grade, or perhaps we still don’t have a child yet.
When do you get sick of it ? If you’re courageous enough you start to reject society and start to question this rulebook. If you don’t , life gives you a good knock, or as many as is needed and forces you to question it.
But most of us have a great fear – of being true to ourselves. We don’t know how to, or we did not know that we actually had a choice. We were told COCA COLA = HAPPINESS and you can only wear pastels in summer.
Yesterday, I was told I was courageous because I left behind a career of 16 yrs to start something new. How did I leave it so easily?
Because I knew – over the years- that this was not it. This is not how I saw myself spending my life – in fashion. No matter how fabulous the possibilities of success were, I could not relate to it. And as much as I loved the creative outlet, and the wonderful life opportunities it provided me, I could no longer work in an industry that told you how to dress, how to look, and how to feel. There was nothing real about it for me that I resonated with.
work on your root chakra for issues related to survival and belonging
To most society, my life is a mystery – still single at 39. No parents, no skyrocketing career, even after all those years . I’m not settled , there is no security. But what is security if it entails a pair of handcuffs that restricts you from discovering freedom, discovering yourself ?
Yes, I wake up some days wishing there was someone in my bed, but the thought of living a cookie cutter life because everyone else is scares me like crazy. The best part of my life has been discovering who I am , and giving myself permission to be that. That is freedom for me . Freedom from wanting other peoples approval. It doesn’t mean I want to be single all my life, or not go back to fashion should I choose. But I’ve given myself permission to be true to myself, to honour my gifts and my passions.
Your life is your message as Gandhi said. Ask yourself, what is the message I wish to broadcast – to live in fear, or to discover my gifts and have an adventure.
You don’t have to give it all up and become a nomad , you don’t have to be rude. But you can start to be more authentic about yourself, your choices. You can be more vulnerable, you can be more real. You came here to contribute your own unique flavor to this potluck called LIFE. It would be incredibly tasteless if one key ingredient was missing. That ingredient being YOU.
