Always do your best…..stay focused and strong. We all need good doses of courage and vulnerability to live our best life. That means that we must acknowledge our feelings first with ourselves, and then we must stand strong in our power. To do this, we need to be clear about what we stand for and what we won’t ever allow in our life experience. If you don’t have a strong back, then you are driven by what they think. You subjugate yourself so that your story and your life are aligned with the people you view as most powerful. Boundaries are blurred and so people trample on you as you try to please, perfect, and prove that you are worthy. But think about it, if you keep silent, when you should speak, if you accept unacceptable behaviour, if you create your story to please them, then you are not loving and respecting yourself. You are giving into fear.
If you take that route that you perceive as safe….the one that pleases everyone but you, then you are not walking with a strong back and a soft front. So, you must let the world see you, for who you are and you must be willing to step into the wilderness and be who you are. Because the other road, the one where you are constantly vulnerable, and making choices to please other people is exhausting. It leaves us defending all the time and so we never really grow into our own greatness. We defend a soft front because we do not have a strong back. Today is the day that you will stand in your truth, you will ask yourself the powerful question….Am I willing to show up and be seen when I can’t control the outcome? Only then will you find the balance of a strong back and a soft front. Then you will be standing in your power. Namaste.
Roshi Joan Halifax said “All too often our so called strength comes from fear, not love; instead of having a strong back, many of us have a defended front, shielding a weak spine. In other words, we walk around brittle and defensive, trying to conceal our lack of confidence. If we strengthen our backs, metaphorically speaking, and develop a spine that’s flexible but sturdy, then we can risk have a front that’s soft and open….How can we give and accept care with strong back, soft front compassion, moving past fear into a place of genuine tenderness? I believe it comes about when we can be truly transparent, seeing the world clearly and letting the world see into us.”
By Lisa Scott ~ Executive/Life Coach