Courage… wow.
Much of my life I have tried so hard to live up to every expectation… the ones I set for myself… the ones I accepted from others… because I thought I could… I had to… in order to be valued… loved… successful… seen… appreciated… respected… worthy… trusted…
Look at what I can do! See all the things?
I love you so much! Let me show you all the ways…
I expected to meet every expectation. I expected the result.
Aim for the stars and land on the moon, right?
The issue with running this program consistently over time is that it becomes the default mode and our nervous system is constantly on alert. Expectation rules the roost and we become chickens running around with our heads cut off from what’s in front of us… chasing madly, grasping… while justifying the action because it’s so deeply engrained in our subconscious and our bodies automatically react with the same protocol time and again…
and because expectation lives outside of us, it is so easy to place the responsibility, blame, tell the same story over and over…
The loop de loop…
Until we look deeply into the mirror… and the mirror breaks…
What was is no longer. Our identity, our attachments, our stories, our reasons, the image of a version of ourself that is projected like a hologram dangling a golden carrot... dissolves.
We remember who we are.
The one that isn’t based on achievements, accolades, trophies, notches on the belt, likes on an instagram post, what we wear, who we date, how we vote, what we do for work, how much we have in our bank account…
We meet our true self.
We create an opening to be with what’s in front of us, what’s within…
Transformation means beyond form. When we move beyond form into the formless… the essence of life… purpose takes on a whole new meaning… service becomes a way of life… selfishness merges with selflessness… being becomes the doing…
Courage to be in a world of doing… of show and tell…
Requires us to listen deeper… to be… here… now…
To ask for support… for forgiveness… for grace…
To implement practices that support a regulated nervous system…
To care… for our body… our mind… our whole self and how we nourish and nurture it…
To feel… rather than psychoanalyze, justify or rationalize…
To see beyond form… into the hearts and souls of those in front of us…
And ask ourself…
How can I show up to co-create a more sustainable and harmonious experience in this lifetime?
For me, consistently shedding expectations that I have placed on myself to be something… a somebody… has led me back the most intimate and expansive relationship… myself and all that is.
What are some of the ways that you show up for yourself?
What are your acts of courage?
I'd love to hear from you, comment below.
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