“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anais Nin
I have reached several points in my life when this quote has hit me like a ton of bricks. Change is scary. The unknown is scary. And so, we stay in situations, patterns, jobs, and relationships that do not serve our highest self (or the greater good!). That is, until the ‘staying’ or non-change becomes so painful, we become aware of our conscious choice to be in misery or take a leap of faith into the impermanence of it all.
This quote can certainly illuminate areas of our life that need to shift.
However, what it communicates to me at the very core is ~ So many of us do not realize (or own) our true worth. We do not allow our authentic being to exist and be free.
And, this can be subtle thing that occurs.
A little, even quiet, internal dialogue that states things like: I can’t do that. I’m not good enough. I always mess things up. I wish I looked different than the way I do. Why try, I will just fail again. When will I learn? I’ll just stay home. I’m too old for that. I’m out of shape. I’ll just sit this one out.
Like a wave washing over a stone, day after day, until the stone has morphed and is unrecognizable.
The culprit, that likes to keep us from BE-ing, is our tricky EGO (Think: Edging Good (God) Out).
It does it again and again. Robbing us of precious moments of life. Stealing our time. Chipping away at our spirit. Creating illusions and untruths that keep us small and from authentically being who we ARE.
And oh yes, this can become painful. The person that stays with the partner that never quite sees their own true beauty and so they constantly put down the one they are supposed to treasure. The person that stays in the job they hate or can’t seem to find work to match their dreams. The kid that was taught to keep their opinion to themselves and now they don’t have a voice. The woman who was given the lesser job, again and again, until she believed that was all she could do. The person that just stopped taking care of themselves, because they were just too tired to care anymore.
Little unconscious things, day after day, that can eventually bring us to a gut-wrenching moment when we look in the mirror and no longer recognize our SELF.
OK. So then what?
Well, it is the light of compassionate consciousness that is the first baby step on the path of change.
Awareness of what it is. Not judgement of it. Awareness of it.
Just see it. Notice it. Observe when EGO appears and tries to tell you lies.
Then just take a breath.
Notice.
Have a deep meditative breath.
Just you breathing, into whatever you notice, will make some space.
It is within that space that change occurs. It within that space where CHOICE appears.
Yes, CHOICE. She enters here and lets you know that you can give yourself a break.
You can choose to give yourself compassion.
You can choose to give yourself understanding.
Acceptance.
Love.
You can choose to lower the bar that your EGO has set, and relax a bit.
You can choose to rest. To shower. To go for a walk. To take a risk. To try something new. To get out your journal. To call a friend that maybe can say the kind things to you that you can’t say to yourself (yet!).
And then, in that moment, something INCREDIBLE happens!
Your ego will quiet enough for you to hear your heart. Your heart, she whispers. She’s often not the first voice we hear, because the EGO is louder and quite critical.
Your HEART, she is usually quiet. Especially at first, if you haven’t listened to her in a while. She whispers and she gives you gentle nudges. Options. She is tender and warm. She wants to the best for you. She beckons you to lean in closer, like the sweetness in the air on a spring day.
Change isn’t easy. But, maybe, it is simple, if we receive it breath, by breath.
Maybe it isn’t forced or even premeditated?
Maybe, breath by breath, if we are listening to the heart, we are led and cared for.
Maybe, breath by breath, we find ourself doing one little thing that is good for our soul.
One little thing that lets us BE exactly who we ARE.
In my experience, these conscious breaths that feed and power small action steps, steer me out of unhealthy patters and situations. When I’ve really practiced BEING this way, there isn’t even a struggle to shift. It’s like I’ve tapped into the great energy that lifts us all, and I’m being carried.
It starts with a breath. A conscious breath. A willingness to listen beyond the ego.
And, then just repeat (with love).
Life can be gone in the blink of an eye. You are unique and beautiful and deserve to BLOOM and feel every precious moment of the sun shining to light up your path.
Have a breath. Feel it. Hear it.
Listen and know the truth of who you are:
YOU are the perfect expression of the ALL (love), blossoming over and over again.
AND….
