What 2016 Taught Me

For me 2016 started off as the Year of Yes!.  I bought Shonda Rhimes book, settled in on the first day of the year and read the book from cover to cover.  I saw a lot of similarities between myself and Shonda Rhimes and found myself in a place where no had become the norm in my life.  Because of, well many reasons, no was my place of comfort, my big fluffy blanket, my safe zone.  If I could say no, that removed the responsibility, the obligation and the possible disappointment, frustration and/or hurt.  But then this Year of Yes thing came along.

01-shonda-rhimes-year-of-yes
How I started2016!

So what did the Year of Yes r 2016, teach me?  Just a few things.

1.  A closed mouth does not get fed.  You need to be open and vocal about what you want and/or what you need.  Make your requests known.  Let people know that you are in the room and that you exist.  If there is something on your mind or in your heart say it.  Do not allow life or opportunities pass you by simply because you didn’t speak up.new noorm2

2.  Yes can become your New Normal.  Yes can push your boundaries, however you are still in control and can ultimately redraw those boundaries.  Think of it as life gentrification.  Adjusting the boundaries of your life to fit the person that you are growing into.  Actually, this will be necessary as you open yourself up to things and experiences you may have previously shied away from.be good to yourself

3.  Don’t let the growing stop on December 31.  Carry what you have learned into the next year and keep improving on yourself and keep and keep making your life better.  Do not become stagnant after you just opened yourself up to all of these amazing opportunities.  Keep growing and keep thriving.

2016, as any year had its ups and downs.  There were some personal setbacks and there were also some personal gains.  The year ended on a very high note for me (more about that later).  I learned a lot, I experienced a lot and I changed a lot.  Change is an inside job and 2016 was a perfect example of that.  As I worked on my Year o Yes, I learned that most importantly, I needed to say yes to myself and to what I needed and what I desired and I learned in 2016 how to do that without feeling guilty or fearing judgment.

So 2016, thank you for the lessons learned.  Thank you for the friendship and relationships that developed, thank you for allowing me the freedom and the opportunity to be authentically me and to be free to soar.  Thank you for removing the Spirit of Stuck and allowing me to run and to walk when and to crawl when I needed to.  Thank you 2016 for showing me that the only thing that can stop me is Me.  2017, I have been expecting you and I cannot wait to see what you have in store for me.

 

Be Blessed! Be Fabulous!

pink-lips

Prayer for Self Love

I would like to thank Brenda Summerville for posting this beautiful reminder today.  I want to share it.

FouragreementsdefinedPrayer for Self Love

By Don Miguel Ruiz

Today, Creator of the Universe, we ask that you help us to accept ourselves just the way we are, without judgement. Help us to accept our mind the way it is, with all our emotions, our hopes and dreams, our personality, our unique way of being. Help us to accept our body just the way it is, with all its beauty and perfection. Let the love we have for ourselves be so strong that we never again reject ourselves or sabotage our happiness, freedom, and love.

From now on, let every action, every reaction, every thought, every emotion, be based on love. Help us, Creator, to increase our self-love until the entire dream of our life is transformed, from fear and drama to love and joy. Let the power of our self-love be strong enough to break all the lies we were programmed to believe – all the lies that tell us we are not good enough, or strong enough, or intelligent enough, that we cannot make it. Let the power of our self-love be so strong that we no longer need to live our life according to other people’s opinions. Let us trust ourselves completely to make the choices we must make. With our self-love, we are no longer afraid to face responsibility in our life or face any problems and resolve them as they arise. Whatever we want to accomplish, let it be done with the power of our self-love.

Starting today, help us to love ourselves so much that we never set up any circumstances that go against us. We can live our life being ourselves and not pretending to be someone else just to be accepted by other people. We no longer need other people to accept us or tell us how good we are because we know what we are. With the power of our self-love, let us enjoy what we see every time we look in the mirror. Let there be a big smile on our face that enhances our inner and outer beauty. Help us feel such intense self-love that we always enjoy our own presence.

Let us love ourselves without judgement, because when we judge, we carry blame and guilt, we have the need for punishment, and we lose the perspective of your love. Strengthen our will to forgive ourselves in this moment. Clean our minds of emotional poison and self-judgments so we can live in complete peace and love.

Let our self-love be the power that changes the dream of our life. With this new power in our hearts, the power of self-love, let us transform every relationship we have with ourselves. Help us to be free of any conflict with others. Let us be happy to share our time with our loved ones and to forgive them for any injustice we feel in our mind. Help us to love ourselves so much that we forgive anyone who has ever hurt us in our life.

Give us the courage to love our family and friends unconditionally, and to change our relationships in the most positive and loving way. Help us to create new channels of communication in our relationships so there is no war of control, there is no winner or loser. Together let us work as a team for love, for joy, for harmony.

Let our relationships with our family and friends be based on respect and joy so we no longer have the need to tell them how to think or how to be. Let our romantic relationship be the most wonderful relationship; let us feel joy every time we share ourselves with our partner. Help us to accept others just the way they are, without judgment, because when we reject them, we reject ourselves. When we reject ourselves, we reject You.

Today is a new beginning. Help us to start our life over beginning today with the power of self-love. Help us to enjoy our life, to enjoy our relationships, to explore life, to take risks, to be alive, and to no longer live in fear of love. let us open our heart to the love that is our birthright. Help us become Masters of Gratitude, Generosity, and Love so that we can enjoy all of your creations forever and ever. Amen.

For more of Don Miguel Ruiz check out some of his writings such as The Four Agreements (one of my favorites).

 

Be Blessed, Be Fabulous

pink-lips