We don't go finding love,
We discover it by discovering who we really are.
My name is Jo and welcome to this episode of Aligned with Purpose in Love and Life and it's my Discovering Love Soul Series.
In our last episode we explored holding yourself with love without losing yourself and learning how to meet your own needs with compassion and without guilt.
Today we're going to talk about what happens when life forces us to slow down and listen to ourselves even when we've been ignoring all of the signs and this is me and how these moments can be the start of real transformational change.
This really is about the courage to change.
My week has forced me to slow down,
Even stop.
I wanted to share something personal.
This week I've been dealing with something simple as a blocked ear.
At first I just brushed it off,
I carried on,
Tried to push through my usual routine and just ignoring the discomfort but as the days have gone on it's thrown me right off balance literally and actually emotionally.
I realize it was more than just a physical thing.
It was a metaphor for where I've been not listening to my intuition,
Turning out and tuning into the messages my body and heart were trying to send me.
Eventually I've had no choice but to slow down,
To take notice and to listen to what is really going on inside.
The message has been clear.
You need to take better care of yourself.
You need to stop feeling guilty for prioritizing your own needs.
Why does change feel so hard?
That's the question I've been asking myself a lot lately.
That's the thing about change.
Often we don't move towards it until something forces us to stop and pay attention and maybe this is the same for you.
Maybe it's not a blocked ear but exhaustion,
Burnout or that uneasy feeling that you've been ignoring perhaps for a long time.
This is all about discovering love from within and not going searching for it and seeking it from somewhere else.
Whatever it is,
Change can feel really uncomfortable because your old patterns have kept you safe for such a long time.
We might be used to pushing through,
People pleasing and saying yes when we mean no because it feels familiar but familiar doesn't always mean healthy.
Courage is choosing to do things differently even when it feels easier to stay in the same old routine,
The same old rut,
The same old job,
Perhaps even the same old relationship.
From inner support to outer action,
Well when you begin to hold yourself with love,
Really meet your own needs that are aligned with your values,
You start to trust yourself and actually that's when you stop ignoring your intuition and that trust gives you the strength to speak up when something isn't working for you.
Say no without over explaining,
Ask for help or just space without feeling guilty.
It's like clearing the blockage and suddenly you can hear yourself again.
So start small,
You don't have to start big with dramatic changes.
This week for me,
Changes look like slowing down,
Taking more rest and permitting myself not to do it all.
For you,
It might be changing something like not taking on that extra task at work.
It might be about saying actually I can't make it tonight,
I need some time for myself.
These small changes are acts of courage,
They are proof that you're listening.
The power pause and making a choice.
The power pause and making a choice to practice this daily.
There's something I choose when I notice myself slipping into old habits,
I call it the power pause.
When you're about to agree to something out of habit or keep quiet to keep the peace,
Pause,
Ask what do I need right now?
Then if I believed my needs mattered,
What would I choose?
Take the smallest action that honors that truth for you.
Sometimes for me it's just lying down instead of pushing through.
Sometimes it's saying I need to think about that before I decide,
Maybe sleep on it.
These tiny pauses create change,
They change everything.
Find compassion through change and here's the thing,
You won't get it right every time,
I certainly don't.
There are days I still ignore my own needs and pay for it later but this is not about perfection,
It really is about progress.
It's about treating yourself with compassion while you're learning and growing.
Each time you make a choice that honors you,
You'll send yourself a message that you matter and that you are worthy of listening to.
And why courage changes love?
When you dare to change how you show up,
Your relationships shift,
You attract people who respect you,
Your values and your boundaries,
You create a deeper more authentic connection with yourself and other people,
You feel more at peace because you're no longer abandoning yourself and all that starts with listening,
Listening to what is going on inside.
So in closing,
Today I invite you to take one small act of courage that puts your needs first and as always here is a journal takeout prompt for you.
Where can I make one small change today that honors my needs?
Remember,
Courage isn't about the absence of fear,
It's the choice to take a new step forward.
And when you do,
You get clear about the way to hear yourself more clearly.
You're worth that step,
Aren't you?
Until next time,
Align with purpose in love and life and be authentically you.
