You Are Worthy

[Guest guest]

You Are Worthy

There comes a time in your life when you finally get it...

When in the midst of all your fears and insanity you stop

dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your

head cries out- ENOUGH!

Enough fighting and crying or struggling to hold on. And, like

a child quieting down after a blind tantrum, your sobs begin

to subside, you shudder once or twice, you blink back your

tears and through a mantle of wet lashes you begin to look at

the world from a new perspective.

This is your awakening.

You realize that it is time to stop hoping and waiting for

something, or someone, to change or for happiness, safety

and security to come galloping over the next horizon. You

come to terms with the fact that there aren't always fairytale

endings (or beginnings for that matter) and that any

guarantee of " happily ever after " must begin with you.

Then a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

So you begin making your way through the " reality of today "

rather than holding out for the " promise of tomorrow. " You

realize that much of who you are, and the way you navigate

through life is, in great part, a result of all the social

conditioning you've received over the course of a lifetime.

And you begin to sift through all the nonsense you were

taught about:

-- how you should look and how much you should weigh

-- what you should wear and where you should shop

-- where you should live or what type of car your should

drive

-- who you should sleep with and how you should behave

-- who you should marry and why you should stay

-- relationships and why their so important to have

-- the importance of having children or what you owe your

family

Slowly you begin to open up to new worlds and different

points of

view. And you begin reassessing and redefining who you are

and what you really believe in. And you begin to discard the

doctrines you have outgrown, or should never have practiced

to begin with.

You accept the fact that you are not perfect and that not

everyone will love, appreciate or approve of who or what you

are... and that's OK... they are entitled to their own views

and opinions. And, you come to terms with the fact that you

will never be a size 5 or a " perfect 10 " Or a perfect human

being for that matter.

So you stop trying to compete with the image inside your

head or

agonizing over how you compare. And you take a long look at

yourself in the mirror and you make a promise to give

yourself the same unconditional love and support you give so

freely to others. Then a sense of confidence is born of

self-approval.

And, you stop maneuvering through life merely as a

" consumer " hungry for your next fix, a new dress, another

pair of shoes or looks of approval and admiration from

family, friends or even strangers who pass by. Then you

discover that it is truly in giving that we receive and that the

joy and abundance you seek grows out of the giving. And you

recognize the importance of " creating " & " contributing "

rather than " obtaining " & " accumulating. "

And you give thanks for the simple things you've been

blessed with; things that millions of people upon the face of

the earth can only dream about a full refrigerator, clean

running water, a soft warm bed and the freedom to pursue

your own dreams.

And then you begin to love and to care for yourself. You stop

engaging in self-destructive behaviors including participating

in

dysfunctional relationships. You begin eating a balanced diet,

drinking more water and exercising.

And because you've learned that fatigue drains the spirit and

creates doubt and fear, you give yourself permission to rest.

And just as food is fuel for the body, laughter is fuel for the

spirit and so you make it a point to create time for play.

Then you learn about love and relationships, how to love,

how much to give in love, when to stop giving and when to

walk away. And you allow only the hands of a lover who truly

loves and respects you to glorify you with his touch.

You learn that people don't always say what they mean or

mean what they say, intentionally or unintentionally and

that not everyone will always come through and

interestingly enough, it's not always about you.

So, you stop lashing out and pointing fingers or looking to

place blame for the things that were done to you or weren't

done for you.

And you learn to keep your Ego in check and to acknowledge

and redirect the destructive emotions it spawns; anger,

jealousy and resentment.

You learn how to say I was wrong and to forgive people for

their own human frailties.

You learn to build bridges instead of walls and about the

healing power of love as it is expressed through a kind word,

a warm smile or a friendly gesture. And, at the same time,

you eliminate any relationships that are hurtful or fail to

uplift and edify you.

You stop working so hard at smoothing things over and

setting your needs aside. You learn that feelings of

entitlement are perfectly OK and that it is your right to want

or expect certain things. And you learn the importance of

communicating your needs with confidence and grace.

You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to

carry and that eventually martyrs are burned at the stake.

Then you learn to distinguish between guilt, and

responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and

learning to say NO. You learn that you don't know all the

answers, it's not

your job to save the world and that sometimes you just

need to Let Go.

Moreover, you learn to look at people as they really are and

not as you would want them to be, and you are careful not to

project your neediness or insecurities onto a relationship.

You learn that you will not be, more beautiful, more

intelligent, more lovable or important because of the man on

your arm or the child that bears your name.

You learn that just as people grow and change, so it is with

love and relationships and that that not everyone can always

love you the way you would want them to.

So you stop appraising your worth by the measure of love

you are given. And suddenly you realize that it's wrong to

demand that someone live their life or sacrifice their dreams

just to serve your needs, ease your insecurities, or meet

" your " standards and expectations.

You learn that the only love worth giving and receiving is the

love that is given freely without conditions or limitations.

And you learn what it means to love. So you stop trying to

control people, situations and outcomes.

You learn that " alone " does not mean " lonely " and you begin

to discover the joy of spending time " with yourself " and " on

yourself. " Then you discover the greatest and most fulfilling

love you will ever know. Self Love. And so, it comes to pass

that through understanding your heart heals; and now all

new things are possible.

Moving along, you begin to avoid Toxic people and

conversations. And you stop wasting time and energy

rehashing your situation with family and friends.

You learn that talk doesn't change things and that

unrequited wishes can only serve to keep you trapped in the

past. So, you stop lamenting over what could or should have

been and you make a decision to leave the past behind.

Then you begin to invest your time and energy to affect

positive change. You take a personal inventory of all your

strengths and weaknesses and the areas you need to

improve in order to move ahead. You set your goals and map

out a plan of action to see things through.

You learn that life isn't always fair and you don't always get

what you think you deserve and you stop personalizing

every loss or disappointment. You learn to accept that

sometimes bad things happen to good people and that these

things are not an act of God... but merely a random act of

fate.

And you stop looking for guarantees because you've learned

that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected

and that

whatever happens, you'll learn to deal with it.

And you learn that the only thing you must truly fear is the

great robber baron of all time FEAR itself. So you learn to

step right into and through your fears because to give into

fear is to give away the right to live life on your terms.

You learn that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophesy

and you learn to go after what you want and not to squander

your life living under a cloud of indecision or feelings of

impending doom.

Then, YOU LEARN ABOUT MONEY... the personal power

and independence it brings and the options it creates. And

you recognize the necessity to create your own personal

wealth. Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself

by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never

betray yourself and to never ever settle for less than your

heart's desire. Then a sense of power is born of self-reliance.

And you live with honor and integrity because you know that

these principles are not the outdated ideals of a by-gone era

but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon

which you must build your life.

And you make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting

and to stay open to every wonderful opportunity and

exciting

possibility. Then you hang a wind chime outside your

window to remind yourself what beauty there is in

Simplicity.

Finally, with courage in your heart and with God by your

side you

take a stand, you FAKE a deep breath and you begin to

design the life you want to live as best as you can. There are

no rules only the ones that you make for yourself.

Unknown

Live Long....Laugh Hard....Email Often