Facing Shadows (Dear Fearful Self)

Dear Fearful Self,

I am pretty sure you're around for a reason, I think i signed up for you to join me before I came here. I think you came along on the ride to remind me of things I might forget in the passage.

Fearful self the only thing is I let you decide things a little more than I care to admit, I thought I could keep you in the shadow and pretend you were not there. I had a master plan to fire you from your job, to get rid of you completely, it was going to be a systematic job... but lucky for you I received several insider tips (thanks to inquisitive self for always being on the look out). The tips said I could keep you around as a guide to remind me when I need to look closer at my worries and look at their validity. Turns out your concerns tend to keep us in the past and future, yeah I know its a shame because there is only ever NOW. Ha, imagine that.

Fearful self sometimes we have passed up experiences and opportunities because of what we thought might happen or what others might think or because we have set arbitrary rules about what we can and can not do. Fearful self you seem afraid of the unknown and stuck in perfection. You tend to be a downer, I'm being a bit harsh, but it's time we work out our boundaries because I KNOW life is not meant to be a full time struggle.

So all this to say I am keeping you around (I mean you are a part of me), but we are going to bring all your concerns to the table with Loving Self and Courageous Self before we make any final decisions, cool? Great. Deal. We can get through this together.

LOVE + LIGHT

Me

ae Wonderful

♡

LaToya

Self-Acceptance (An Evolving Journey)

em•brace im-breys – verb. 1. accept (a belief, theory, change, SELF + HOME) willingly and enthusiastically.
noun. an act of accepting something (SELF + HOME) willingly or enthusiastically.

A part of self-acceptance is telling your story.  When we tell our story it can be empowering to ourselves and to others. We acknowledge our existence here.  When we tell our stories we  touch others, we connect and we heal. There are many ways to tell a story: oral, written, visual, and even in how we lead our day to day lives.

As I tell my story in a variety of ways I begin to understand myself in new ways.  I begin to grow and expand. I EVOLVE. I might journal to get out all the thoughts and feelings and insights that come to and through me, I visual journal and collage to let my story out in new ways I have never explored. I speak my story every time I interact with someone else.  My home can also tell my story.

I fully accept myself, I love myself I said. I was becoming more and more comfortable with myself each day and I was gaining a new sense of confidence... After an in person reiki experience (which involved lots of tears), I had the insight that if I truly embraced all parts of me, then there would be no parts of me that I denied (even if there are areas in my life that I want to cultivate with more love). I would release any underlying guilt of not being good enough. I would allow myself room to live my story freely, without self-imposed restrictions. I had read about self love and self acceptance and felt my mind had a good grasp on these concepts...

I was on the right track...

but this insight had to be felt and came from the heart.

So begins another cycle of the EVOLVING JOURNEY.

The only person I need to reconcile my full story with is myself. Self-Acceptance is being fully honest with ourselves. Accepting ourselves as we are - as a whole. We take the good with the less than favorable.  We begin to see challenges as opportunities in our life and always as a chance to learn and move forward. It can be a process; parts of it are lifelong. This journey calls for ACCEPTANCE + FORGIVENESS.

I ACCEPT MYSELF AS I AM.

I AM WHOLE.

When I begin to take these steps to understand my story and reconcile any feelings I may be harboring against any parts of myself, then my authentic story begins to flow. One by one I let go of false beliefs that hold me back from expressing my full potential. I begin to take full ownership of my story - I begin to design my life for my soul to thrive. I become empowered. This process allows me to live in alignment with my values. I am able to embrace vulnerabilities and share my story with others. I can even begin to share the storylines that are still evolving.

Because the story will always evolve.

And the story will always have multiple strands running through at the same time. Somewhere along the way I begin to see that all of our stories intertwine into ONE. Everyday that I can accept a new part of me, the more deeply I feel my connection to you and to all that is. And so the journey continues to evolve... The journey is not always easy, some days are actually quiet challenging, but I accept the challenge and I renew my intention each day.

What Story will you tell today? What part of the journey can you begin to embrace? How can you evolve today by accepting a new part of yourself?

RESOURCES: Living in the Light, 1,001 ways to stay in the moment, My article on Transformation in Life as Ceremony Magazine.

Be Wonderful

xx

LaToya

Thank you for joining me in {Finding Space} for INTERIOR ALCHEMY. To receive INSPIRATION and MUSINGS directly in your inbox signup here.

| facebook | instagram | pinterest |