Hello and welcome to Holistic Joy with me Tara Van Dam.
I invite you at this moment to just allow yourself to get as comfortable as you can.
Whether that is seated,
Lying down,
Lengthen your spine,
And close your eyes.
Start to journey inward.
What does that even mean?
Use your breath as the bridge between the outside version of yourself and the inside version.
Visualize the very center of your being,
Wherever that might be today.
And use that center of your being to root you down into the earth.
There is no need for your breath to be a certain way.
Just keep it as natural as you can so that with every breath in,
You're quietening your mind.
And with every breath out,
You are quietening your body.
Feel your shoulders get heavier.
Feel the lightness in your belly.
Be sure to disengage and soften the muscles in your face and around your jaw.
And as you take your seat,
As you close your eyes,
What do you need?
In this moment,
On this day,
What do you need for you?
What is your heart craving in order to feel fulfilled at peace?
What do you need?
You have given so much of yourself.
Now it is time to give back to you.
The world has asked you to motivate yourself through self-criticism.
That in order to stay motivated,
We can't forget our weaknesses.
The world has told you that to show love is to give of yourself endlessly till there's nothing left.
The world has told you that to be successful,
You must sacrifice,
Sacrifice your time,
Your energy,
Your sense of purpose,
Your connection and love and care of yourself.
The world has taken so much from you.
But what I ask of you now is to be selfish.
To give to yourself exactly what you need.
I ask you to fill yourself up with self-love,
Abundance and care.
I ask you to be selfish because you,
As any other,
Deserve to feel the fullness of your own heart,
Soul and life.
Because you,
As any other,
Are worthy and deserving of your care and love.
Repeat those words to yourself.
I deserve my love as much,
If not more,
Than anyone else that I have given it to.
What is missing in your life right now?
What need is not being filled that you need to be filled?
And how can you get it met?
You may not feel worthy of this.
You may struggle against the voices telling you that others are more deserving.
What would it be like to authentically,
Genuinely know that you deserve everything that your heart is asking for?
What would that experience be like to truly know that you are worthy of it all?
What would you be able to offer the world if you were to get all of your needs met?
To be selfish is to fill your life with light and joy and peace in ways that are authentic to you alone.
To be selfish is to experience fullness so that you are able to give back.
For so long we have confused the word selfish with self-centeredness or self-indulgence.
To be self-centered is to take for yourself with no other intention than your own abundance.
But to be selfish is to take for yourself that you are able to give back.
To be selfish is to increase your capacity for love because without this selfishness you are ill-equipped to be of service to others.
So fill your cup.
Care for your body,
Your heart,
Your mind.
Ask yourself,
Where am I on my list of priorities?
Give to yourself selfishly and through this act become the ultimate vessel of love and generosity of spirit.
If you need more time in stillness,
Please take it.
Fill your cup.
But when you feel ready to come back into the space,
Just gently open up your eyes and smile.
