"Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great." Orison Swett Marden
In several little pockets of the world, brave and courageous women and men take a leap and follow their dream everyday. Scary as this seems, daring to be authentically ourselves is an act that is part of who we truly are.
Psychologist Maslow said, we are often and constantly moving towards a fully self-actualized presence. Carl Jung gave us wholeness, a view that we are always seeking to feel whole. Today, we talk about the feeling of living in our highest potential.
When I see people step into their greatness, their purpose, their dream, I want to do more of that myself. When you see someone you admire, do what they do, with such ease, joy and purpose, you want to step into the possibility of doing the same.
Marianne Williamson boldly put it in what is famously quoted everywhere today:
"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."
Our deepest fear, which Williamson talks about, often manifests in procrastination, in not feeling motivated enough. Sometimes we feel numbed out, and at other times we feel overwhelmed by the amount of things we need to get around to during the day that owing our purpose, living it, seems best when pushed to another day.
Many times, I feel a mama's life is such. There are days and days when all I have is a 20 minute space to actually breathe, meditate. There are days when I am twisted like a pretzel, in my body and mind, I can't seem to think straight, or some emotion/thought feels predominant that living intentionally, in my greatness feels impossible.
That's when I wonder if the possibility of owning my greatness, living my life's purpose, is possible at all. I know from talking with other mama's that many circle back to this space.
What do you do when you are in this space? How can you gather your bearings, from what seems like a few difficult days, and live in connection with your joy?
I offer three guideposts/practices:
1. Trust: You are where you need to be, to fully experience this moment for what it is, so that you can discern what your response can be the next moment.
Take for instance, yesterday was an awful day for me, a client stood me up/didn't bother to cancel, and as a result I was stuck with people whose company I just don't enjoy.
Trusting that I am where I needed to be, I acknowledged that I could to be less rushed and hurried, that I could practice standing in my truth and my limits rather than getting carried away by my habitual patterns of behaving. And that is what I did, I stayed in the company of these people for a while, and excused myself and came back to the quiet of my home where I could recoup, energise and learn more about what my limits are and how I could honour them.
When you can trust yourself, your path and your right now, you will find that what you are doing here and now is part of your magical purpose, it is where your light needs to shine.
2. Simplicity: I dig simplicity, clarity and quiet. But many times, out of force of habit, I choose complexity, confusion and noise. When we take our thoughts that feed fears and stories of abandonment seriously, we become confused about our dreams, our purpose and we question whether we should even do what we are doing. Allowing these thoughts and emotions to simply flow like a river and responding with kindness, compassion and love towards ourselves (first) and others (next) is what choosing simplicity means.
I am, of course, not saying this is easy. Yesterday, after the hard day I had, I came home and took some time out, breathing and writing. Then my husband massaged my back and did some spinal adjustments and voila, I was feeling better again! Sometimes, we can sit in the difficulty of our mood for long stretches of time, and then realise that something as simple as a massage can completely heal us. Remembering these simple responses towards ourselves and our mental health go a long way in living a simple and purpose-filled life.
3. Doing the work: I believe that giving our dreams wings means doing the work every single day. And when we do something every single day, alongside kissing our babies, brushing their teeth, giving them a bath, and reading them bedtime stories, we make our life fully lived. We end up shining in our own brilliance. We realise that doing the work means doing all that we do in our lives, brushing three sets of teeth (self and two babies, in my context), bathing three sets of bodies, giggling, cooking, staying present with clients, and all of that. Doing the work, no matter what, even if two participants arrive at your workshop or 15 do.
What practice calls out to you? What do you need today to step into your own greatness?
