"Your identity is not equivalent to your biography. There is a place in you where you have neve been wounded...where there's a seamlessness in you, and where there is a confidence and tranquility in you." - John O'Donohue Identity is a person's sense of self, which is established by their unique characteristics; a sense of defining presence on their journey. A biography is a detailed description of a person's life. I think we often mistake our biography and where we came from as our identity. I have walked a very bumpy road through life thus far. For a long time I thought my biography defined me. I came to see that my biography were blessings and lessons learned along the way. But, my identity is the person I became on the other side of the story. When I began to embrace my identity, I was able to release parts of my biography that no longer served me. Do you put all of your weight and definition in the people who you come from or are related to? Do you find yourself re-living every moment of your life where the wounds were great? How can you release yourself from the biography that no longer defines you and embrace the identity you have created in the life hurdles you have overcome?
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Love isn't reserved for just people we know deeply.
Look around you; there are countless people who are alone. People who come from brokenness. People who have lost their way. People who have been tossed aside. We have love in our hearts for friends, for family members and for our pets. What if we extended that love outwards more often? It is amazing to me what can be achieved with kindness; a simple act of loving can carry someone through the darkest storm. Today as you are walking through your day, look more closely at the world around you. Who will you encounter that needs loving? Where in your day do you see the need for love? Do you consider yourself strong?
This could be seen in diverse ways from physical to emotional. I am asking you to go deeper into its meaning and ask yourself this hard question. There is a big misconception of our own capabilities in emotions. The truth is we all have strength within us that we access most times without even recognizing it. Strength can look like a variety of situations. Strength can feel like challenges. Strength can be an immensely powerful and empowering emotion or action in one's life, if you allow yourself to acknowledge it. Today, I simply want you to reflect on how you see strength in your life; how strength has shown up for you. If there are instances where you wanted strength to show itself more, ask yourself why you held back. If there are places in your life you want to embrace strength today, ask how you can empower yourself to embrace it. Strength is going to show itself different to each person. Today, just look at it in your own journey. As the days go by, access the courage to add strength into your life to lift you up. “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” — Socrates
What does it mean to transform? If you think about it, life is about transforming constantly. We are never in one place permanently. We have the ability to transform any aspect of our journey at any time. But here is the piece that I find most important; transformation comes by not fighting the old and learning from what it had to teach us. By acknowledging each part of the journey, the transformation gains value. Value encourages us to keep going towards where we are meant to be. Where are you meant to be? How can you get to that place? This is controversial and I understand. You likely have heard it increasingly the last few years. It has been resonating with me a great deal as of late.
There was a time when being called resilient was a compliment. Today I never want to be called resilient again. Why? I am exhausted by strength. I am burnt out on being celebrated for 'keeping going.' Survival mode is not a place to live within anymore. I don't want to apologize for being human. I don't want to be recognized for how well I walked through the hits and wounds. I want to use my voice and ask for support. I want people to offer a hand to ease my stress. I want to rest through the struggles. I want to be celebrated for being real and true. What about you? |
Next Women's Beach Retreat!Follow USOur YouTube ChannelAuthorAndrea creates, builds, and offers her teachings and hands on life tools based on her journey healing her body image after a 14yr battle and life of trauma. Her vision always is to help others live a full life with the journey they are given. Featured ProductCategories
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