SHOW YOUR WHOLE SELF

I was feeling down in the last couple of days. Could be the rain, or could be the ups and downs of being a parent and a wife. I journaled to let off some steam, the way you do when you boil your rice at too high a temperature and you see the lid jumping up ready to fly from so much pressure.

At one point, as I jotted down thoughts and emotions, as I wrote down at length about my frustrations, I wrote that I'm happy. To my younger self, that would have seemed puzzling and inconsistent. Now that I'm older and am more aware of the complexity of human nature, I am no longer puzzled.

I learned from journaling and increasing my awareness of my inner world, from interviewing and coaching many others, that we are complex beings. We might know this at an intellectual level, but it's uncomfortable to our brain, which likes simplicity and things broken up into good and bad, black and white.

When we internalize the truth that we are complex, capable of feeling both strong and vulnerable at the same time, we can settle in our body and our minds with more peace and confidence. We can feel pain while at the same time feeling joy. We can feel hurt while feeling strong. There is more to us than what meets the eye.

There is more depth to our heart than our mind can capture.

The depth of our soul is always there - strong, peaceful, trusting. The surface of our soul, like the ocean, is always moving, always reacting to what is thrown at us. The depth, which I think of as our soul's immune system, is always a source of strength. This complexity is what makes us this unique, perfectly imperfect human. The trick is to be willing to accept those parts of us that we don't usually open up about, that we don't show to others out of the fear that we won't be liked or accepted.

The people I'm inspired by most and feel attracted to are those who embraced their strength and their vulnerability. We're programmed to be free, authentic, vulnerable and strong, to be whole. We're yearning for being ourselves, our whole selves, for opening up.

This week, my invitation to you is to open up the door to your complex, deep soul a little bit more. ✨Show your whole self to a few more people.