on being…ourselves

The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.

 – Friedrich Nietzsche

 

Who are we?

Who are you?

What do you believe?

How do you live (or act on) your beliefs?

Are you living your beliefs or someone else’s?

 

Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.

– Brene Brown

 

It seems that nearly every day, we are provided even more opportunities to meet ourselves, to better know ourselves and to make choices that either support our growth while facilitating our evolution (and that of the planet) or we look away, afraid. We fear that allowing ourselves to feel what we feel, or to see through the eyes of our hearts what we are seeing unfold before us, that somehow we are weak or are not living up to what others expect of us.

Whose life are you living anyway?

 

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

 – Steve Jobs

 

I honor the courage of the many who have spoken up about their abuse – men and women – and in so doing have paved the way forward for others to find within themselves the courage to step up, to speak up. These are the leaders of their lives who, by their actions, advocate for those who have not yet found their own voice.