The Truth About Your Humanity

Recently, I was blessed to sit in a room with a group of dynamic and brilliant women. Each woman was unique, linked to the others only by a commitment to spend the morning learning more about herself.

We began sharing our unique experiences and goals - drawing out, visioning, and chasing the lives our hearts were calling for.

As I looked around the room and listened to these women, it suddenly became clear that there was far more linking us than our love to learn and create. No matter where we are in life, what we are chasing, or how many successes or failures we've seen, we realized that in the truth of it all, each of us are alike.

To be human is to be in constant evolution - to grow and to shrink, to make mistakes and to learn; to flow and expand. It is a dynamic and ever changing dance to make a mark on people, on a purpose, or on a place.

And yet despite each of us working through this messy dance, we're all living in a society that only rewards perfection. We are told that to be successful, we must get it right - our career, our choices, our relationships, our bodies. We are to be in perfect rhythm, never skipping a beat.

We filter the images we post. We calculate what we share with others. We respond to 'how are you' with"busy," as if it is a right of passage, legitimacy, and proof of pursuit.

But the truth is that no matter what we tell others, we can't avoid the missteps of life. What we truly experience, we hide and bury. We close up our experiences, and put up a facade. We make our dance look perfect, highlighting only that which is deemed beautiful, deleting all else that implicates our flaws. But inside, the reality of humanity still boils and brews.

I'm sharing this with you because you are not alone. We are with you. The women in that room, me here writing this, and all the people you come into contact with, we are all with you.

Our experiences might be different, but our truth is largely the same. We are all human and we are all hiding some parts of ourselves in an effort to please the world around us.

Sitting in the room, we began to vocalize the thoughts which most plague us.

You're not good enough. You don't deserve this. You are lazy. You are stupid. You are weak. You are too opinionated. You are a contradiction. You will fail. You are unreliable. You are not loved. You aren't pretty enough. You aren't smart enough.....

As the words escaped our lungs and hit the air, we gave life to who we really are. We became humans - real, messy, and connected. And in our connection and truth, we became liberated.

Liberate yourself from the depths and release the person deep inside of you.

You are beautiful. You are powerful. You are worthy. You are a gift to this world. And you are one of us - in connection, in community.

Only you have the power to let her shine, but know that in doing so, she will join a community of messy, beautiful, powerful, brilliant, worthy humans.

oday;sSHOULDN'T. YOU DON'T.

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#vulnerability #truth #honesty #powerful #empowerment #connection #community #selflove #acceptance

When you think you can't, DO.

Clammy hands, heart beating a little faster, dry mouth…… and I volunteered for this???

Yes.

I’m going to give a presentation to a room full of my peers, a room full of managers, who, for the most part, have been in this organization longer than I have been in work. But. I won’t let my nerves get the better of me. I’m only human, I am having those thoughts, “what if I trip over?”, “what if I say the wrong thing?”, “what if someone asks me a question and I don’t know the answer?”. However, I volunteered for a reason. I want to grow.

I know my subject, I am always prepared, and deep down I know I can do it. Hell, deep down I know I am actually good at it.

So off I go, and I do what I came to do.

It was close, I could have done nothing, let my fear of failure win, sit back, not put myself out there. But it was good. I only got tongue tied a couple of times. And when it’s over, the feeling of accomplishment (and relief) is rather overwhelming. Along with the brilliant feedback from my colleagues afterwards, I realize; I can do this, I am good at this, and actually rather a lot of people have my back and are willing to tell me I did well. There is literally no better feeling than overcoming a fear and smashing it. Even if it hadn’t gone well, what was the worst that could happen? It really isn’t worth worrying about. I know there are people who are willing to help me and all I have to do is ask.

Will I be nervous next time? Yes.

Will it stop me? No.

Every experience like this builds on the previous, and makes you more prepared for the next.

It doesn’t just apply to the presentation. Every little thing you worry about or think you can’t do.

First date. A difficult conversation. That meeting. This deadline.

Or big thing.

New job. New relationship. New place. New people. New task. New business.

Don’t let YOU get in the way of YOU.

Remember:

- Ask for help - Don’t let your fear get the better of you - People will support you - The feeling of accomplishment will outweigh the feeling of doubt - The more you practice it the more you will realize that these are the building blocks for having faith in yourself and acting with positive intent

Deep breath. You got this. Go get ‘em!!!!!!!

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This post was written by +polly. Check out more of her stuff on instagram: @_positive_polly_

Instagram: @_positive_polly_

#guestpost #fear #fearless #brave #courage #positivity #beyou #strength

Claiming your confidence

What is it to be confident?

At its core, confidence is the outward appearance of internal courage.

It is finding the fire within yourself to face your fears; to step, dive or fall right into your discomfort. It is making the choice to move forward, while trusting that the universe will have your back.

To be confident is to make the bold decision to do that which scares you. It is to trust your heart, push past the sweaty palms and butterflies, and step directly into the thing that will let you move forward.

Confidence is not an end destination. It is a relentless pursuit; a constant choice. What we see when we look at people we view as confident is a person who seems unphased and unafraid. But what is inside of them is a person actively choosing to stay on their edge.

Like learning anything, the more positive experiences we have, the more comfortable we become. But as we grow, we must continue to face our next fear; to make the decision that scares us - be it talking to strangers, public speaking, walking down the street, being seen naked in front of another human.

You have been courageous before, and you will be courageous again. Whatever it is that you wish you could approach with more confidence, know that the power to do it is in you. Connect to your core. Where have you been courageous? What fears have you faced in your life? Connect to that place and step in. You've got this.

You are courageous.

You are confident.

#confidence #courage #fearless #strong #brave #authentic #selflove