My last essay on Substack included a quote from Brené Brown: “believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness.”1It got me thinking. How can I really feel part of something if I am playing a role – staying safe by being “socially acceptable”? And do I not have to be aligned in my connection to Something Greater than myself?
In the new year, I intend to settle more deeply and comfortably into who I truly am at this point in my life. Who we are changes over time. We learn and adapt through our experiences, relationships, societal influences, and spiritual/energetic connections to the whole. I can look back and see iterations of Laura in multiple environments with various character traits prevalent, then receding as more positive behaviors came forward. I also see treasures that have been forgotten and need to be reclaimed.
In the world in which I grew up, it was a firm belief that “People don’t change!” This is not true, and is, in fact, a dumb perspective. Individuals can shut down and commit to never changing. However, if you watch them over time, you see that these people do change, because they are so committed to not changing. They become rigid and fixed in their self-concept. Their range of experiences, reactions and choices narrow in order to hold on to the sameness. In reality, they are much less, because they refused to expand and grow.
As people learn through positive, loving relationships, they become more loving. There are countless stories of damaged children being restored to health and well-being by consistent and committed attention and kindness. Being in communion with life through Nature, music, laughter, meditation, and a myriad of positive experiences opens one’s awareness to possibilities.
We can also change as a result of hurtful, cruel and damaging experiences and relationships. We can become angry and vengeful. We can withdraw from life. Or we can recover and rise stronger and wiser from these experiences. As our awareness increases, we begin to disengage from caring what other people think and the ‘shoulds’ laid on us by society and its marketing and media. These changes bring us freedom and discernment.
Immense joy and satisfaction come from striving and achieving new levels of awareness and competency in a quest to reach one’s higher potential. There are great teachers who believe our purpose in life is to become better, stronger, wiser, more loving, and kinder. No one else can tell you what your highest potential is and what is important for you to learn. Our job is to learn how to change and strive consciously to benefit ourselves and others. These upward steps in one person’s beingness enriches all through our human and energetic connections.
We evolve through the choices we make. Recent conversations with dear friends have illustrated how this works. These friends had been overwhelmed by the drama, damage and corruption going on around the world. We have shared our anger and sorrow even when we have conflicting points-of-view. However, they made personal decisions to remove their attention and energy from the drama.
Each has made a commitment to a proactive, regenerative form of service. It wasn’t a big flourish to save the world. Their choice came from a decision to seek peace – inner peace and peace with friends and family. The discussions were repetitive and draining. They took a step above. Literally, they chose peace. As a result, our holiday conversations were calmer and much more interesting as we talked about books, history, and the details of the service they are learning and giving. I love them for their courage and the model they present to others.
We have the extraordinary power to make new and better choices all the time. In 2024, I intend to explore who I have become so that my choices and actions are congruent with what I know to be Something Greater than myself. This partnership with the Divine has always been in my heart and probably is familiar to many of you as you define Something Greater. From this place, we can move mountains.
Happy New Year, my friends!
0 Comments