Stepping into One’s Power
It’s better to get up, stand up, no matter how homemade your platform, and live the most you can, the best you can, and forgo the sneaking of counterfeits. Sneaking a counterfeit soul-life never works.
F
rom the pages of:
Women Who Run with the Wolves by
Dr. Clarissa Pinkola-Estes
The sneaking of a counterfeit life is the result of the age-old belief that we must move through life on some prescribed, predetermined trajectory. We subconsciously {or not-so-subconsciously} feel shame when we yearn to be on another path, one that doesn’t come close to paralleling the one we think we should be on. More often than not, we hide our passionate longings in bottles wrapped in brown paper bags and steal nips when no one is looking or stuff them in a deep corner of a closet, abandoning them whilst never being able to forget them.
We frequently download messages that condition us to play small. Societal expectations want us to fit into a box, leading us to believe we need to be a certain size and shape in order to fit in. This expectancy penetrates to the inner workings of our mind, instilling an understanding for which ways of life are acceptable and which ways of life are not. If we want to be loved, accepted and feel connected, we learn to mindlessly conform to these beliefs, without listening to the voice that lies within; the voice that speaks on behalf of our spirit, mind, and soul.
Many of our mentors throughout life are, indeed, well-intentioned, which makes it hard for us to see any injustice they might have committed. An English teacher enforces strict guidelines on writing that shift the focus from creativity to arbitrary rules for spelling and grammar. A parent opposes the pursuit of a particular course of study for fear that it will not result in a lucrative career for the child. A coach denies the intuition of our bodies, persuading us to doubt its omniscient messages telling us how to rest, push, and heal.
We also absorb the subliminal (and explicit) messages embedded in our daily lives. When we predominantly see a certain type of person who is a specific ethnicity, has a particular body type, portrays flawless beauty, and lives a specific lifestyle, we learn to equate those external characteristics with success, happiness, and, in many cases, worthiness.
Our malleability in our early years teaches us to strive to meet such expectations. These beliefs often continue to plague us in our adulthood, lasting, ultimately, a lifetime.
If we choose to listen.
At any given time, we have the choice to tune in to the voice within and tune out the voices around us. We have the option to rid ourselves of the beliefs we inherited along the way and to adopt our own.
There is, undoubtedly, a tremendous life force within each and every one of us. It is not only our birthright to tap into and emanate that vital energy but also our responsibility. In order to fully step into our power, we must challenge our beliefs, especially the ones that are limiting us. We must ask the inner workings of our being what it has to say.
Not only are the answers within us, but the power is, too. It lies betwixt our very hands, ready for action whenever we are. It is within this knowledge that we recognize that we are capable of extraordinary things, capable of attaining any goal we set our focus on.
After all, how did those footprints get on the moon in the first place?
