I came across a quote the other day by Rene Brown,
And perhaps it'll speak to you the way it spoke to me.
You either walk inside your story and own it,
Or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.
Wear a corner in your chest,
And simply let that rest,
Like it has nowhere better to be.
Now soften your shoulders,
Allow your tongue to fall from the roof of your mouth,
And let your mind unclench from needing to be anything more.
What if your worthiness never left,
It just got quieter than your doubt?
You see there was a time in my life when compliments felt like mistakes,
Where people would say something kind,
And I'd reply by shaking my head no,
Saying thank you,
Looking down,
And sometimes even,
I don't think so.
Compliments became something I felt I needed to deflect,
Like an insect I had to spot away before it could sting.
Occasionally I'd throw in some sorries.
Sorry for speaking,
Sorry for existing too loudly,
Or sorry for simply having a need.
And this wasn't humility,
It was a low grade hum of shame,
Masked as politeness.
And I didn't know it then,
But I was standing outside my story,
Hustling to be allowed back in.
And I didn't know it then,
But my worthiness had never left,
It just got quieter than my doubt.
And this doubt was something that wasn't originally mine,
It was inherited,
It was repeated,
And it was often finessed by me over the years,
As this is who I thought I needed to be.
Standing outside your story is exhausting.
You perform,
You might over-explain,
You might second-guess love,
And even mistrust stillness.
Why?
Because when you don't believe that you are worthy,
Even rest can feel quite guilty.
But something shifted when I stopped hiding,
When I stopped cowering,
And when I stopped hustling and apologizing,
And when I turned around and said to myself,
Maybe,
Just maybe this time I'll stay.
Maybe this time I'll simply take the compliment,
With my head held higher,
Not to prove myself or earn my way back in,
But to stop pretending I didn't already belong.
And this is the moment that you too can begin to walk back inside your story.
So let the words echo once more,
From Brene Brown.
You either walk inside your story and own it,
Or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.
So take a moment now to pause and gently ask yourself,
What act of kindness have you shrugged off?
What apology do you provide that no one really asked for?
And simply let the answers rise like mist,
Drifting through,
Clearing the room,
The space,
With fresh air.
And then repeat this to yourself.
I am not the wound.
I am the worthy.
Say it again and again until it doesn't sound like a lie,
Just a soft unfamiliar truth.
I am not the wound.
I am the worthy.
Let it echo throughout your being.
Because your worthiness never left.
It just got quieter than your doubt.
So when doubt creeps back in like a bug in the dark,
Don't swat it.
Don't fear it.
Just turn on the light and see it.
And then let your truth rise louder than the noise,
Than the doubt.
And tell yourself,
I am not the wound.
I am the worthy.
Say it like you mean it.
Say it like you remember it,
As it has always been there.
Allow yourself to repeat this,
Or any other that speak to you,
That empower you.
I am not the wound.
I am the worthy.
Begin to make your way back,
Not to the noise,
But to the knowing.
To the space around you and the steadiness within you.
And remember,
You don't have to shine to prove you're gold.
As even embers glow quietly.
So when the light goes out and the doubt creeps back in like a bug,
Don't swat it.
Study it.
Outgrow it.
Don't shrink.
Don't disappear to make others more comfortable.
Don't edit your edges to fit fear's frame.
And if you huddle,
Let it be not to hide,
But to remember.
That this,
This is how you reclaim your story.
Not as a wound,
But as the author.
And your worth?
Your worth was never something to earn.
It was a truth waiting to be heard.
So say it,
Even if it's shaky.
Say it like your future self is listening.
I am not the wound.
I am the worthy.
May your mind,
Your body,
And your spirit be abundant with peace.
And may your truth always be louder than your doubt.
Today and every day.
Namaste.
