Sometimes I get so caught up in the everyday drama that is my life that I forget that I chose this. I don’t mean I wanted go through, for example, a nasty breakup last year and have to start over from scratch, to the point of having to even buy an iron and toaster again. But in a sense, yes. I believe my soul chose this life, with my wonderful and sometimes wacky family, with my challenges and eclectic strengths and foibles, and that I’m here to learn something. (Sometimes I have a sense of what I’m supposed to learn and other times I’m just bumping along, hoping to just learn how not to repeat the choices I’ve made that led to painful consequences.)
And when I remember, “oh yeah, some part of me (my soul, spirit, higher self, whatever you want to call it) actually chose this, wanted to go through this challenge to have the growth experience of overcoming it,” it gives me a broader perspective, and with that distance, a little relief. I remember that while individual choices matter in that they will lead to consequences of one sort or another, it’s all good. I can’t make too big of a mistake that I won’t be able to later use to my good, for my own life knowledge.
With that bit of distance and relief, I can get more playful, which feels MUCH more fun. How can I experiment here? How can I take a little risk, trust a little more, try something new?
Are you ready to try something new? I can help you with that. Get on my calendar here.
Emily helped me learn to tame the chaos happening in my heart and head, offering tools that allowed me to ask myself questions and reveal answers that I would never have believed would come from within me. ~ Sarah D.
I love this Emily because I was just reading “Steering by Starlight” last night and this reminded me of the part where she talks about living your life backwards which really resonated with a part of me. You know we are consistently looking back ruminating, wishing that we could have done things differently or gone down a different path, but the way she clarified how when certain events happen in out lives it is in preparation for even greater events that are yet to unfold. It gives a whole new perspective to what originally may seem as an unfortunate event. I especially like where you say in your blog,
“I remember that while individual choices matter in that they will lead to consequences of one sort or another, it’s all good. I can’t make too big of a mistake that I won’t be able to later use to my good, for my own life knowledge.”
That view really does give me the feeling that I have just a bit more wiggle room than I might normally allow myself to “experiment” as you beautifully stated. Thank you Emily for reminding us to lighten up on ourselves and to take risks to be our authentic selves.
Thank you, Lola! Steering by Starlight is one of my favorite books by Martha.