“My primary relationship is with myself all others are mirrors of it. As I learn to love myself, I automatically receive the love and appreciation that I desire from others. If I am committed to myself and to living my truth, I will attract others with equal commitment. My willingness to be intimate with my own deep feelings creates the space for intimacy with another. As I learn to love myself, I receive the love I desire from others.”
– Shakti Gawain
I find this quote so encouraging and motivating for the reader to embark on their own personal journey of getting to know themselves. The writer gives the reader hope that as they continue the work with themselves honestly more space will become available to work with.
It is as if the more you work on yourself the more filler is missing. You have more room available to fill with the actions, desires, people, and hobbies that you would like to have. It is almost like forcing yourself to work out creates the energy you were looking for in the first place to chase your kids.
These deep down desires within us of connection, development, and love are readily available as we create more space.
Deciding to embark on the journey in the first place is courageous. With each minute spent on living our truth we are rewarded in ways we could only dream of. These deep down desires within us of connection, development, and love are readily available as we create more space. Letting go of the lies we tell ourselves. Letting go of all the habits, thoughts, and people who no longer serve us and yet we cling to them in a desperate attempt at living forever in the past or in our delusions.
But maybe it isn’t delusions. Maybe it is the imagination? Maybe it is a clouded fantasy?
Like a closet… we want to buy more clothes and find that style that just clicks with us, our personality, and our body shape. But if our closet is chock full of shirts, dresses, shoes, sweaters, etc… How on earth will we even fit one more item at all in that closet? It isn’t possible. Unless of course we want to be like that cartoon where the closet is stuffed.. one tiny thing more gets added to the closet… the character walks away… and then a creaking sound… and KAMBOOOM!!! The closet flies opens and clothing items fly everywhere and bury our protagonist.
Although it is uncomfortable to start pulling out our own stuffing it is something that is necessary if we want to be full of more (joy, happiness, energy, etc,.) It isn’t as if we hate or don’t cherish the memories or moments shared with those things or people. It is just that they are no longer serving us in a way that feels good or has grown stagnant. It isn’t personal. That sweater was a life saver in the past but now it just doesn’t fit right; we can give it away or recycle it so that it may be a treasure for someone else. That friendship was just what we needed at that stage in life; but now we have both grown in different directions.
Although it is uncomfortable to start pulling out our own stuffing it is something that is necessary if we want to be full of more (joy, happiness, energy, etc,.)
But here we are with our stuffed closet metaphor and here is a radical idea. The radical idea that everything we are searching for could be found if only we start taking action where we should have started in the first place. The relationship with ourselves. With each compliment in the mirror, every act of self-love, every mission of discovery we embark on, and every step out of our comfort zone our relationship grows. Of course it is difficult but just think… what a marvellous relationship we could have! What a fabulous journey we have the privilege of embarking on!
Say it with me: thank you (to) ______________________ for being in my life. I am glad we had that moment. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours. (And really mean it.) Then let go.