 As human beings we are highly motivated to avoid pain. However, choosing to step up and recognise our uniqueness, have a voice, and own our true value, is how we make the difference in our life when we are seeking positive change. After all, no-one else can live our life for us.
To avoid feeling shame or emotional pain, we tend to side-step, deny and cover up our true self so we are not visible to the world. When change comes knocking on our door, we tend to avoid the perceived discomfort, rather than celebrate the opportunities it may bring. When we are faced with our inner truth and we have not yet experienced the safety and expansion of true love (unconditional love), all we know is how to avoid being hurt. We build walls around our heart, and we steer our conversations to topics that feel safe. We engage in activities that allow us to feel somewhat confident, and we associate with people who will not threaten our sense of security. We even choose careers, jobs and relationships that will not challenge us too much for fear of failing or having to deal with situations that will leave us feeling vulnerable or inadequate. In short, we minimise our existence and the opportunity to shine by being our best self. The pain of living a life that is mediocre or like ground-hog day, is not the experience most of us want to have. Nor do we want to feel a lack of fulfilment or that we are not growing to our potential. The fear of failure or rejection is often a huge motivator to shift ourself into high gear to create change in our life by making different choices. Our new awareness that we are perhaps living only as a shadow of our best version, can feel soul-destroying over time. However, having courage to express and be our true self is how we align with our soul-purpose and experience freedom within. As we give voice to our truth, we give life to our ‘reason for being’. The Universe then responds by providing opportunities and situations that match our energy and our intentions. When we are in flow with our soul-purpose, we are no longer blocking our potential, and we become magnificent creators in our life - powerful magicians! Whatever you do, don’t waste your life or the opportunities to be your best. Sing, dance and live your life now. As Wayne Dyer says “Don’t die with the music still in you”. Your awareness today is your invitation to choose differently, so you can live a life you truly love. ~~~ "The Power of Soul Loving - A Spiritual Guide to Love and Freedom" by Rebecca Gabrielle (Balboa Press, 2019, Ch12) https://www.thepowerofsoulloving.com/
0 Comments
 What is love anyway, and why does it seem so difficult to define? For many, love can be unfamiliar, especially if our life experiences have not resulted in anything that we thought love was meant to be. Or worse still, love has become something that has tainted our heart and left us feeling dull, self-protective or even damaged. This is not love. Nor is love a set of rules and conditions of how we must feel, or what we should say or do.
So how do we experience love? In our heart and soul, we know that ‘love’ is something we desire, yet many of us struggle to know what is that experience of love. It has been written and spoken about for centuries, and in so many ways we have attempted to illustrate it in our paintings, books, movies, media, and the stories we share. Divine Love is not an idea, a fantasy or a fleeting emotion. The concept of love may be different for all of us, as it's a very personal experience, personal in the way we perceive it to be, and in the way we give and receive love. In whatever way love manifests for you, Divine love is a choice and a way of being. Love is the opposite of fear. It's not something we conjure up, nor something we can buy or obtain. So what is love?  Transformation in our life is usually challenging and often painful, yet like a mother in labour, she knows there is an end in sight and a new life is to be born.
Most people associate pain and struggles as something that is bad and to be avoided. The transformational process is as important as the new version of who you become. However, when we know the Divine is there to love and support us, then the energy and expectation around the birthing process can be lovingly welcomed and embraced. All struggles are an opportunity for transformation to bring greater love into our life, as well as spiritual and emotional growth and a deeper understanding of ourself, and our purpose in this life.  When inspiration and motivation come from a place of conviction, from our heart and soul, and not just the mind, then change in the way we see ourself and life becomes possible and sustainable for the long term.
At times life can feel challenging, however, as my dear friend has reminded me on many occasions, we have either a choice to sink or swim. We can continue to see ourself as a victim to our circumstances, or believe we are the creator of our life. He often said, “Be the author of your life, the star of your movie”. How big can you dream?   Several years ago I made the courageous decision to step away from my somewhat normal and seemingly perfect life to acknowledge that I was not really happy. For a long time I had felt a strong calling in the depths of my being to honour my true self and to face my fears. I knew I felt discontentment and conflict within my soul, but I did not have the words or the wisdom to understand why, only the call to question my identity, my purpose and my intentions. I had every reason to feel incredible fear and in-trepidation about moving away from my family, my marriage and all that everyone else knew me to be. I was facing rejection and isolation from those whom I loved. However, the gnawing feeling and sadness within would not go away, and the thought of continuing a life of deception for myself was not a palatable option. And so, I said ‘YES’.  Everyone wants to feel and experience love, and for many it is the greatest desire as a human being. So, it's strange to think that we would need courage to love ourself, assuming we have been comfortable so far not loving ourself.
Over the years we can build layers of limiting beliefs and develop self-deprecating habits that can lead to self-judgment, poor thinking and a lack of self-esteem. We can become well practised at giving our love and personal power away, denying the value of ourself, our uniqueness, our talents and our wellbeing. We can begin to believe that we are not good enough, not smart enough, and not deserving of love. Living with this kind of self-perception can close doors of opportunity in our life, moving us away from true love.  When we are feeling the most pain and it feels that we are at our lowest point, it is an easy temptation to give up on ourself. It’s often in these moments that we believe the worst of ourself, of others and of our circumstances. This is fear shouting at us, and its grip on our inner being can be crippling if we let it take hold.
 If we do not know where we are going, then we will be going in that direction - no where! To live a purposeful and meaningful life, we must know where we are headed or how we wish to live in terms of our energy and our soul purpose. The power of consciously deciding on our intention is an important aspect of how we live our life. If we do not set an intention then we are much less likely to live our life in the way we wish it to be.  I am grateful for my life. It may not be perfect, however today is a great day, as any day, to feel so blessed. It’s not because of anything grand. I didn’t win Lotto and I don’t own a Lamborghini. I don’t have a bank account to draw upon to fly around the world, and my life circumstances are not always smooth. However my life is everything it needs to be in this moment. I have love, love in my heart so that I can see my world through eyes of possibility and abundance. I see life before me blooming, breathing, in all its magnificence. I love every person that comes into my life, as each soul offers a gift of their unique and beautiful self. Not perfection - but their authenticity, their experiences and their learnings. It has been through the pain of my own self-induced suffering that I now see what an utter waste of my life it is to live that way. We can choose to see the world and ourself through eyes of judgment, cynicism and fear, which conditions us to only see failure and lack. Or, we can choose to see life through eyes of love, possibility and gratitude. Either way, it’s a choice. It’s not about having rose-tinted glasses. It’s about seeing life as a gift. Every moment, pleasant or not, expected or unexpected, is a gift. I choose the gift of love, because no matter my circumstances, love will gift me with greater wisdom, opportunities to grow, and even more love than I can imagine. Love starts with me, and it is a gift I can give myself any day. What about you? Are you ready to let go of misery and see life differently? Are you ready to choose love? “The Power of Soul Loving” Rebecca Gabrielle Balboa Press, 2019 www.thepowerofsoulloving.com  When it feels as though we’ve tried everything and it’s still not working we may be tempted togive up. Take heart, you may benefit from taking a different approach.
Done this ?? Still not working??!! Setting SMART goals is a methodical approach to achieving our dreams. We create timed action steps, we measure the results, and then we change what’s not working. It makes good sense. Feedback if we are improving or not, or if we are moving towards our goals, is important. However it is not the only measure of success or fulfilment in our business, relationships, finance, home life or health. Success and fulfilment require a holistic approach - a balance of energy and focus of: - the mind (mental, logical), - the body (physical / actions / environment) , and - the spirit (our beliefs, co-creating with the Divine, and our soul purpose). Physical: You’ve noticed that what you’ve been doing is not working. You know it’s time to do something different. It’s the same as recognising you’ve been going down the wrong path! |