May You Always Lead From the Beating in Your Chest
Listen to your heart. This is a lesson that I’ve had to really face in the last few months and understand at a deeper level. I wish it wasn’t so, but being yourself is one of the most difficult things to do in this life. It’s not difficult for babies. It’s still not too difficult for young children. But for us adults living in today’s society? Forget it! It takes an enormous amount of courage and the willingness to be alone.
Due to our natural instinct, we all have a strong need to belong to a group that help us feel safe. The thing is, we don’t always belong to a group that’s right for you. You don’t always feel safe where you are. Unfortunately, instead of recognizing that and moving on to find one that’s a better fit, we tend to stay and mold ourselves to fit our current community. In order to remain a “good person” in that group, we suppress the voice within our hearts. We lie to ourselves that it’s OK. That we’re happy exactly where we are.
But eventually, you’ll reach a point where you can no longer sustain it. Your heart screams out, “Listen to me!” and bursts open the shell that was holding you down. That’s where I found myself a few months back. I had to decide to make me my number one priority. I had to be OK with not being a “good person” in someone else’s eyes.
Thankfully, things worked out well for me. I spoke up and lots of changes happened. I feel safe again within my group. The most important shift, though, was my own trust in myself. I know now, that I will once again stand up for myself if the need arises. I will listen to my heart even if that means going alone. I’ve learned that honoring my own happiness leads to happiness in the people around you. I hope you will trust that and listen to your own heart, too.
“May you always lead from the beating in your chest.” – Jason Mraz, an excerpt from the song Have It All