In the soul accelerator year of 2020, I learned a lot.
I learned by Listening, and in the Listening I received massive bursts of insight that would simply land inside my mind during a quiet walk or a hot shower or while staring at a long stretch of highway. Here are the few I remembered to write down.
Life is a game where emotions are the prize, not the punishment.
Why is it so hard to receive? Because it requires a certain kind of surrender, a total withdrawal of control and we falsely and most likely unconsciously believe it also makes us as receivers, less powerful than the givers. This is a result of the fear of not being good enough, not feeling worthy and avoiding the discomfort of vulnerability. But the best part is, we can rewire our thinking. There is an equal amount of power in receiving, creating a healthy balance of energy between giver and receiver. (I mean, who are they going to give it to if you refuse to accept - you deny them their power in this scenario.) The foundational energy of being open to receiving is gratitude.
Excuses are fear masquerading as logic. Once you speak them aloud, call them what they are: A wolf in sheep's clothing. Untruths. Lies. And then list the positive outcomes or lessons that may emerge from the decision you're hiding from.
The stories we tell about ourselves TO ourselves can always change. "I'm a terrible baker," is only true because you've convinced yourself it's unchangeable. It's not. There's a great baker waiting to be found, you just haven't gotten there yet. Sub any words here that fit. "Entrepreneur, parent, writer, manager, spouse, partner, friend, student, teacher, etc." You get the idea. Experiment with the words you use to talk about yourself and start Listening. Stop using them as a crutch or an excuse to become stagnant or dormant (see previous paragraph). Your story may have already changed and your words and thoughts haven't caught up.
Our webs aren't always tangled, but we can build them strong, with purpose and intention to provide everything we'll ever need in life. They're energetic webs that consist of connections to people, places, things, thoughts we consciously create (sometimes unconsciously) and they're in need of spiritual, mental and emotional hygiene. Similar to Golden Silk Orb Weaver spiders—who, by the way, really stole the prize in the "Cool Names For Spiders" category—create one giant web in their lifetime. The web-weaving is challenging upfront, but once it's built, provides both food and shelter. When there's a section that needs repairing, the spider feels a vibration, scurries on their cute little spider legs, all six of 'em, and eats the silk from the area, transforms it into newer, stronger silk and goes back to being awesome and allowing things to come to it, rather than chasing all the shiny things on the trail. The metaphor for humans here is that taking time to intentionally build our web will pay off and provide any and everything we will ever need. And instead of burning everything down in the "all or nothing" approach to life, it's best to take things section by section, digest the lessons it's given us and transform it into a stronger piece of the web. More on that here.
If your desires have changed in the time it’s taken to manifest that desire, it becomes a self-defeating cycle. Find time to find focus first and then start the process of creation. Asking why is important and understanding that you are powerful is imperative.
I look great in yellow, contrary to the story I told myself for the last 38 years.
I'm an optimist and I'm done apologizing for it. I'd been constricting parts of my personality in fear of being perceived as a Pollyanna, naive and even silly. Once I stopped caring about the perception and starting owning it as a unique piece of myself, I felt more alive than I have my whole life. Optimism is not a weakness, it's a gift.