Be Brave!

Be Brave,

Go for it, Say it, Do it,

You’ve got this One Beautiful Life.

One Chance to put the record straight.

Before you know it -

It may be too late!

Left wondering how things could have been,

If only you’d seen beyond the masks we all wear,

If only you’d taken the leap - Let fear release you from its gilded cage,

Fly free,

Go for it, do it, say it -

Be Brave!

The greatest act of courage is to feel your feelings! What a loaded statement. We often believe we feel them - but more often we just ‘think’ our feelings. We decide what is appropriate to feel - for example - we tell stories around our feelings to make them acceptable to both ourself and others.

We’ve all done this - and though the reasons may seem diverse, ultimately they all point to the same conclusion 🤔 - and that is - we want to be accepted. We make decisions based on what we have been taught since childhood - decisions that echo our individual value systems. We want to fit into society, or be seen as a ‘good’ person, and so we follow the unwritten rules of how we think that should look in our lives.

The truth is that more often than not, our individual reality will look vastly different, and may not ‘fit’ into the world’s view of how it should be. It is then that we need to BE BRAVE.

Becoming authentic means that who we are on the outside (the face we present to the world) matches who we are on the inside (the face we often hide). I’m not saying we share this in its fullness indiscriminately with everyone we meet - what I am saying though, is that it is important that we are in touch with it at all times for ourselves ie- we actually KNOW the Truth of who we are in each moment. At the same time, choosing with whom we can be more transparent without denying our ‘bottom line truth’.

This can only be achieved by developing self-awareness and being unafraid to delve into the ‘why’ of our own behaviour. For instance - how often have you agreed to do something or gone along with someone else’s plans, when actually they are polar opposite to what you truly believe within - or maybe you just don’t want too?

It is challenging to be authentic. We risk being misunderstood, misquoted and maligned. It can be a lonely place. Friends usually bond together with common interests and ideals, so being different can put the cat among the pigeons (so to speak). However, it is my experience that eventually it becomes impossible to ‘fit in’ where you really have nothing in common. So what to do?

Being Brave may mean being left out of the group. It may mean getting comfortable being alone, not just physically (though it may come to that) but alone in your understanding of the world - and that can be even more difficult. Being in a room full of people yet still feeling alone on the inside is, I believe, a deeper kind of ‘aloneness’.

So whilst it may seem easier to blend in and hide parts of yourself from others, at the same time it takes away from becoming wholly the person you were created to be in the world. We each hold a unique message inside us - that we long to share. Finding that special person or place to share that message - that intrinsic part of ourselves, is what I believe motivates us all. We are all, as humans, longing to be seen and understood.

In conclusion- I hope in some small way I’ve challenged you to BE BRAVE about who you truly are. To be willing to listen to your feelings, as they are your spiritual GPS system. Our thoughts can deceive us - but our feelings never lie. As children we remember this fact - we are more in tune with our ‘feeling body’. As we get older, however, we ‘learn’ new, more acceptable ways of being, so that we can better fit into this dysfunctional society. Our animals have got it much clearer - they are unburdened by the thinking mind and more in tune with their innate feelings.

Test this out for yourself - the next time you go into a room full of people - at a party or a family gathering - or even a shopping mall. Stand still for a moment and gauge the ‘feeling’ in the room. You may be surprised at how well you are able to do this. It is a skill we have all largely forgotten- and yet it is something we are all capable of doing.

Our feelings will always guide us better than our thoughts. Whilst logic may serve to protect us - it is most often shielding us from the very messages we need to hear.

In life - and in love - FEEL FIRST, THINK SECOND - is the best mantra.

Remembering our feeling body is connected to our higher self - and that our higher self is connected to God.

With much love

Test it for yourselves.

Carole 💜💜💜🙏