Power in Purpose > Self-Oppression

When is the last time you thought about your purpose? Like, seriously? When is the last time you wondered about your existence or even the the point of life? When is the last time you tapped into your intuition and let it lead the way versus letting fear lead the way?

This week, I've been thinking and reading quite a bit about what makes us hold back from doing the things we really want to do. We may give a million reasons, many of them could look like time, money, experience, fear of failure, not knowing what direction to take, or where to start, and a plethora of other excuses. But honestly, I think the real answer always comes down to fear, because if you think about it, there are always solutions to all the excuses you can list. Trust. You may not like them but there are.  

I went to see Gabby Bernstein speak last night with my soul sister, and if you've read any of my work before, you all know what a huge fan girl I am of hers. One of the things she asked the audience was what was holding us back? And many of the things I listed above were some of the answers people shouted out. But here's the thing, it's all in our heads, because as I said, there are always solutions. I am a firm believer that if the Universe places a calling in your mind or gives you something you love to do, there is a way to make it happen. The biggest hurdle for many, is we just expect it to be the way we want it and that's that. But what if we actually trusted that if we follow our path, that it can come in different ways? Hell, what if that path led us to a complete unknown passion that we never would have discovered had we not set out to achieve that one thing we thought we wanted? But we must have faith, we must have hope, and we must have love, which is something Gabby talked on. And we could all use a lot of that right now.

I also started reading The Motivation Manifesto by Brandon Burchard this week and this excerpt really jumped out at me.

“Self-oppression is the condition of letting our own negative thoughts and actions restrict us. It is an inside job, a burdening of our spirit by incessant doubt, worry, fear, and distraction. None of us wants to be the cause of our own failure in life—yet most often we are. It is our own inept thinking, our own bad habits that rip the vibrancy from life. We are the ultimate oppressors of our own happiness.

Self-oppression is evident whenever we limit ourselves. We stay home instead of going out because we are too anxious to explore. We procrastinate on an important assignment or exciting new venture because we cannot overcome our uncertainty. We fool ourselves into thinking that things must be perfect before we release our art into the world when the clear reality is we're just too undisciplined to get things done. We lie to ourselves, break our own resolutions, allow our dreams to slide away without grasping at them. Is it not clear to us that we can be our own worst enemy? But we can also be our own saviors.”

I'd like to go even deeper to another excerpt from this book that really spoke to me because fear of what other people think is a REAL thing:

“Some of us can remember dramatic times when we were mocked for being different or manipulated into conformity. We can recall situations when we compromised who we were to avoid conflict. We gave away pieces of our integrity in order to get along with others. We started acting like “them” in school or at the office. We faked it, put on a smile, walked the path we were told to. We did all we could to avoid the silence of ostracism or the sting of their judgment. We hoped, above all, to be secure, to be accepted, to belong.”

I have been guilty of all of these things. I catch myself and have to say, “Just because you think it, doesn't mean it's true.” On the flip side of that, there also comes a time when once you sift through your own bullshit (this will take some time and energy) and begin listening to the inspired voices that come from growth and pure intention, you'll have to trust your intuition. And how we speak to ourselves matters. I know I harp and harp on this. But here's one brilliant thing to keep in mind: Times have changed my friends. I'd say that right here, right now, there has never been a better time or environment to let your proverbial freak flag fly. We don't have the same limitations we did back when I was young. If you have a great idea, or something you want to do, don't be the one to oppress yourself. Don't be the one to talk yourself out of your own greatness. Because there is greatness in you.

On that note, I hope you take the time to think about what inspires you this weekend. And spread some love today. Send a note. Smile at someone. Be in the moment. Those are all little ways you can help make a difference in not only someone else's life, but yours as well.

Until next week, I love you.