Standing For Accountability

Standing For Accountability

It seems we are being challenged at this very moment to stand for what we know is true and right. Whether we are being called to empower ourselves as we face political bullies, companies that abuse their power, and/or other entities that prey on our natural weaknesses, this is a time of great transformation and opportunity. It is a time for us to stand and to use our voices.

In my own world, I’ve been challenged over and over in the past weeks by broken systems that attempt to dehumanize our experience in an attempt to streamline their own operations. I’ve been asked by bigger businesses than myself to not be an individual, and to instead accept a one-size-fits-all solution, policy, and/or way of doing things. None of these approaches work for me. I am not willing to fit in, to go along, nor to be quiet, so as to make another more comfortable, more at ease, and more lax in their work and way of being. I am an individual and I demand to be treated that way. When I see that I am not, I understand I have a choice to continue investing my time, energy, and money in that system/business/entity or to not to. I never have to stay quiet and take it.

A paradigm is rising across our planet, made up of people like you and me who stand for love, inclusion, and integrity, and who believe we have a responsibility to stand for our rights and for the rights of others. We are awakening and coming together in unexpected ways and in unprecedented numbers to use our voices and to wield our personal power to break down old, corrupt structures. There is still much work to be done, and as we continue to integrate and heal the deep pangs of division we all feel, I find solace in how we are united in our quest. It is a moment when the enormous bully or perpetrator says, “Yeah, I did it. So what are YOU going to do about it?”

This is our moment. This is our opportunity. I believe in your personal power and in mine. I believe this is the moment where our ability to stand tall for who and what we are, and represent it as best we know how is most crucial. Please take good care of yourself so you can stay strong and bring your best self. We will make the difference.

photo credit: Scott Lum

Addicted to the Pain

Addicted to the Pain

Addicted

Do you ever get so addicted to the pain of something that you don’t want to break out of it? Have you ever felt so much pain and so consistently that you start to feel you deserve it — that it’s meant to be there? Have you ever stayed with your pain — not changing it, not empowering yourself?

When we do this, we make ourselves a victim of our pain. It’s selfish in the end. We’re so overwhelmed by our feelings of despair and unfairness that we forget our responsibility… to our self and others. We forget our responsibility to care about people and things outside our pain, including ourselves.

Our pain matters. It has a point. Its value lies in how we acknowledge it, learn from it, and grow from it. It is not something for us to simply accept and live with. We’ve got to have compassion for our Self. We’ve got to push for our joy.

photo credit: LL Twistiti

Love and Esteem

Love and Esteem

loveesteem

What if these two things were created equal?

What if wealth, beauty and status mattered as much as compassion, respect, care and value?

How would that change things?

What if my self-esteem (my view of wealth, beauty and status) was equal to my self-love (my view of compassion, respect, care and value)?

What if I focused on respecting my feelings (compassion), setting my boundaries (respect), ensuring my wellness (care) and cultivating my gifts (value)?

Would I find that my power (beauty, wealth and status) had grown as a result?

My esteem wants to have and do but without knowing where my love lies, am I really getting what I want?

I can make the connection.

Between my external desires and my internal needs. I do not need to pursue one at the expense of the other.

Through loving myself I am creating the esteem I desire.

 

This article was partially inspired by the concepts found in Madly In Love With Me by Christine Arylo.

photo credit: stars alive