
So I'm facilitating a group called Artist's Way right now which is a course in discovering and recovering "Who You are Right Now". We think we decide in our 20's 'who we are' and that the decision is done. Ha! Wrong! Life changes and impacts us in so many ways that we are forever deciding "Who am I now?"....that I'm a Mom, a husband, an employee, an employer, a person who is hospitalized, someone who is unemployed. So many unforseen things happen in our lives that we have to reevaluate our priorities and sometimes our values to accomodate the changes. These amazing women have opened up their hearts and minds to each other and have come to support and witness for each other the celebrations, grief and frustrations that are their lives. They are not defining each other. They are witnessing, cheerleading and offering support or suggestions when asked. How often are those kinds of relationships forged in our society? Not often is my observation. A lot of times I hear conversations laced with "You should..." or "I have to ....." instead of "what do you need...." and " I choose to...". One brave woman talked about the confusion she is sorting through about whether she wants to accept her body the way it is or lose weight and she wondered out loud if she really wanted the goal of a smaller waist size or if it was still accommodating to societal and external standards. It gets complicated to find yourself if you've lost sight of who you are from the inside. I like the song they recommended called "Try" by Colbie Caillat. It's about not trying so hard to impress other people and just liking yourself for who you are and relating to the world from that place. Truly empowering. While it's hard to do at first, it is powerful when you can like yourself enough to stand amidst a group of people who are gossiping or judging you and and think "that might be what you think, and I can't control that but I like me and I know I'm ok no matter what". Don't try so hard to be liked. Be authentic and like yourself. You are the person that you spend the most time with.....make how you treat yourself internally count more than what others think and feel. Trust me.....you will have a better day when you do!!!
Colbie Caillat, Try
https://youtu.be/GXoZLPSw8U8
Colbie Caillat, Try
https://youtu.be/GXoZLPSw8U8