Thank you so much,
Friend,
For meeting me here today.
To reconnect,
Find a space that for your physical body feels good,
Like a landing place.
And before we change anything,
Start with your breath.
Deepening your inhales and your exhales.
Perhaps your deepest breath today,
Maybe you have been holding your breath as if you could control the pace of life with it today.
Let your ribcage expand,
Let your belly expand as you deepen your breath.
If you're in a place where you can close your eyes,
Do that now.
Meet me here.
Let the world buzz by you for a few moments.
I had a beautiful encounter with a dear friend today who does this type of work and so many other incredible offerings of value to the world,
Like so many of us,
And she shared with me an experience she had where she was leading a group and felt judgment come over her and really thought that it was the judgment of someone else about how she was facilitating and how she was showing up and there was a rawness to this experience for her.
And she finished and later received a note written by someone in the group just telling her how valuable her share was,
How what she did and how she did it really touched a deep place in this person and how this moment so resonated with me and where I am today and maybe you too.
I feel like so often we want to put our work out into the world,
Our story out into the world and we're so nervous and we walk so tenderly and we withhold.
I do this too.
You made me remember all the moments that I have been in awe actually of this friend.
She is brave,
She is tender,
She is bold,
She is so many things and still finds herself in a place of judgment,
Self-judgment,
Me too.
How many times have you looked across the room with deep,
Deep admiration for someone and they would never know it and now turn that arrow back to you,
Turn that awareness back to you.
So often we see someone we're so admiring for how they're willing to be,
We see the gift that they are,
We see the magic in them and yet we're so unwilling to acknowledge that about ourselves.
What if you are actually the gift,
What if you are the magic in your life and I think it's true if you are standing in quiet admiration of someone that the same is true about how someone is seeing you,
Admiring from afar for how you are willing to be brave and shiny,
Mindful for the way you're willing to smile at a stranger knowing they may not smile back.
Can you breathe into this idea and what would it take for you to tend to that place where you want to judge yourself,
Where you want to elevate someone's gifts and talents above your own and the truth is they're just willing to put them out there.
What a beautiful contribution to the planet.
What I'm wanting you to really get today is all the power and magic that lies within you.
What I'm wanting you to really see today is that when people cheer for you,
It's so often coming from this really honest place of wanting to see you win and share more.
What I'm hoping you will see today is that someone across the room in a crowded space sees you and thinks,
Maybe I could do that too.
Maybe there's magic in me.
Maybe I'm dimming my light in some way.
Take a deep breath.
Someone I've been so deeply influenced by in so many ways in life,
His name is Mark Groves.
He shares this idea of your gifts are not for you.
They're not meant to be locked up and hidden,
Waiting for the moment you feel brave enough to share.
Someone,
Many someones are hoping and praying you'll become brave enough soon that you will move beyond your own self-judgment in moments like this right now,
Where you're taking the time to face what is,
To be with what is.
Keep staying with the breath.
WB Yeats says the world is full of magic,
Patiently waiting for our senses to get sharper.
I see it almost like a light switch that you're willing to flip on.
I know the risk we all know firsthand what our self-judgment feels like as well as the judgment of others and could that risk be worth it to allow yourself to be seen,
To share the very special medicine that only you have,
To use your magic,
To turn on the light switch.
Stay with your breath just a few moments more,
Maybe bring your hand to your heart.
I want to leave you with the simplest mantra that I have been using this week to override old wounds,
Old thoughts,
Old judgments,
And it's so simple,
I am powerful.
You can use it quietly in your head,
But I suggest you let it out with your voice.
I am powerful.
I have things that the world needs.
I am a magic maker.
What if you didn't keep those things close anymore?
A few more breaths.
When you're ready,
Just blink the eyes a few times.
And before you leave this practice,
Notice if anything has changed,
If anything has been revealed.
You can lift your shoulders up toward your ears if you're in a seated place,
Roll them back a few times.
Softly open the eyes and take a look at the room you're in.
Come back to this when you need it.
So much love.
