The Only Thing That Stays The Same...
Friends, Gabi Bernstein has me thinking. She is a motivational speaker and author that helps people own their story, nurture the flame within, and find the platform their passion is calling for. We can all identify one pivotal moment in our lives. It might be an accomplishment, a trauma, a devastating loss, a move, a trip - anything that felt important. We can tell that story from different timelines. Speaking the story as it happened in the past usually looks like a chronological detailing of people, place, thing, and feeling at the time. It's important to give breath to the details of the event as it happened. But my favorite part of life is how beautifully it shifts and changes as we keep living it. Once the moment of the event passes, the way we tell the story can change. In fact, it has to. Because we have changed. It is now being filtered through who we are in this new moment in time. This is the power of perspective. A crippling loss that had us feeling empty, isolated and frozen, begins to shift as it cracks us open. A rewarding accomplishment that fed our soul to the brim becomes a stepping stone to the next thing that lights us up. As soon as the moment has passed, we are changed. Can you think of a story from your life that has changed shape over time? Is there a story that you've held on to? Unable or unwilling to release the feeling that has you trapped in the details of the event? I have been encouraged many times to rewrite my stories with intention, as a way to gain power over the event. This approach has proven to release many people from a place of powerlessness. For me, this approach stirs feelings of anxiety and touches too closely my need to control outcomes. Like one more mind game of 'what-ifs'. I have found freedom in a different perspective. My power explodes when I step back from my self, and as an impartial witness, observe how the original story has rewritten ME. By connecting to my higher self, I am freed from my will long enough to see clearly how the event has shaped my thoughts, my heart, and my choices as the person I am now. From this perspective I am filled with wonder, gratitude and respect for a force that continues to show up for me, and for all of us. The stories details remain the same. But I, most certainly, am not. Our stories continue to unravel and take new shape with each passing moment. Sometimes we grip tightly, and sometimes we surrender. Sometimes we need to be the author, and sometimes we can't help but be carried by forces far greater. This life is a trip, friends. I want to hear about yours!