Unnaturally You.

Life becomes a struggle the moment we believe that who and how we are is somehow wrong.  We then commit ourselves to becoming right – big mistake!

I remember being a child and my mom asking me to clean up my desk and where I kept my school stuff.  I vividly remember taking my time with it; reading every piece of paper with any notes on it, then taking more time to think about what was written.  I would take ‘forever’ to go through everything while I made sure I did not throw out anything important!

I truly enjoyed getting lost in reviewing, re-reading, thinking, re-thinking, and sometimes going on long journeys into the worlds in my mind, those incredible adventures full of peaceful mystery and delight…

…and then I would hear my mom (love you mommy) yell at me, expressing her view of how slow, unproductive, and wrong was my way of doing the assigned task which should only have taken half an hour if I wasn’t so and so.  Told enough times, I finally believed that I was so and so…and so, I began the journey away from that and toward being less slow, less unproductive, less wrong, less me.

I’m sure most of us can relate to this story in some way.  I’m also sure that, at least on some level, most of us know that life’s greatest struggle is not to be ourselves.  We grow up believing that our way is the wrong way and in order to be right we need to find another way of being; otherwise, we’re just, well, no-good.  We spend decades looking for that right way to be, proper thing to do to finally feel good, comfortable, and natural again only to realize that we had it at our disposal all along.  We realize, with great sadness as in my case, that we have spent much of our life and time on denying our natural way of being.

Well, today, I decided that I shall return to being who I am Naturally!  I cease to make who or how I am wrong.  I, once again, begin to do things MY WAY.  The way that feels good, comfortable, and natural to ME!  I have so many notes and writings to review and get lost in my mom would scream for a month if she saw it.  Oh, this actually makes me laugh!  Which brings me another point…

Joy is the main ingredient in any sort of authentic success.  When we are in joy we are in the recognition of our essence; it is in joy that we truly express who we are.  Blessed be those who sent me on that wild goose chase, which was often joy-less, though filled with so much discovery, knowledge and wisdom, all I can be now is grateful.

Earlier today, hours before I began to write what you are now reading, a phrase came to me that brought me to tears: Become the Gift of YOU.  Coincidence?  I think not!  I am growing in my conviction that my Soul speaks to me through all those phrases I then turn into quotes…and they almost always come when I’m on a journey filled with peaceful mystery and delight…

Today, I invite you to remember and embrace who you are NATURALLY.  I know you know how that is; and let me assure you – how that is is perfect!  I also know that as soon as you give yourself permission to become YOU again, you will be reassured as you continue to reclaim yourself.  I suspect your Soul speaks to you, too.  Listen.

---