your awakening

Your Awakening!

A time comes in your life when you finally get
it…when, in the midst of all your fears and
insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere
the voice inside your head cries out – ENOUGH!

Enough fighting and crying or struggling to hold on.
And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum,
your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice,
you blink back your tears and begin to look at the
world through new eyes.

This is your awakening.

You realize it’s time to stop hoping and waiting for
something to change…or for happiness, safety and
security to come galloping over the next horizon. You
come to terms with the fact that neither of you is
Prince Charming or Cinderella and that in the real
world there aren’t always fairy tale endings (or
beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of
“happily ever after” must begin with you…and in the
process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and
that not everyone will always love, appreciate or
approve of who or what you are… and that’s OK. They
are entitled to their own views and opinions. And you
learn the importance of loving and championing
yourself…and in the process a sense of new found
confidence is born of self-approval.

You stop complaining and blaming other people for the
things they did to you (or didn’t do for you) and you
learn that the only thing you can really count on is
the unexpected. You learn that people don’t always say
what they mean or mean what they say and that not
everyone will always be there for you and that it’s
not always about you. So, you learn to stand on your
own and to take care of yourself…and in the process
a sense of safety and security is born of
self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to
accept people as they are and to overlook their
shortcomings and human frailties..and in the process a
sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.

You realize that much of the way you view yourself,
and the world around you, is as a result of all the
messages and opinions that have been ingrained into
your psyche. And you begin to sift through all the
crap you’ve been fed about how you should behave, how
you should look, how much you should weigh, what you
should wear, what you should do for a living, how much
money you should make, what you should drive, how and
where you should live, who you should marry, the
importance of having and raising children, and what
you owe your parents, family, and friends.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different
points of view. And you begin reassessing and
redefining who you are and what you really stand for.
You learn the difference between wanting and needing
and you begin to discard the doctrines and values
you’ve outgrown, or should never have bought into to
begin with ….and in the process you learn to go with
your instincts.

You learn that it is truly in giving that we receive.
And that there is power and glory in creating and
contributing and you stop maneuvering through life
merely as a “consumer” looking for your next fix. You
learn that principles such as honesty and integrity
are not the outdated ideals of a by-gone era but the
mortar that holds together the foundation upon which
you must build a life.

You learn that you don’t know everything, it’s not
your job to save the world and that you can’t teach a
pig to sing. You learn to distinguish between guilt
and responsibility and the importance of setting
boundaries and learning to say NO. You learn that the
only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and
that martyrs get burned at the stake. Then you learn
bout love. How to love, how much to give in love, when
to stop giving and when to walk away.

You learn to look at relationships as they really are
and not as you would have them be. You stop trying to
control people, situations and outcomes. And you learn
that alone does not mean lonely.

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings
aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs.
You learn that feelings of entitlement are perfectly
OK….and that it is your right to want things and to
ask for the things you want… and that sometimes it
is necessary to make demands.

You come to the realization that you deserve to be
treated with love, kindness, sensitivity and respect
and you won’t settle for less. And you learn that your
body really is your temple. And you begin to care for
it and treat it with respect.

You begin to eat a balanced diet, drink more water,
and take more time to exercise. You learn that being
tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty and so you
take more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the
body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time
to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part, you get in life
what you believe you deserve…and that much of life
truly is a self- fulfilling prophecy. You learn that
anything worth achieving is worth working for and that
wishing for something to happen is different than
working toward making it happen. More importantly, you
learn that in order to achieve success you need
direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn
that no one can do it all alone…and that it’s OK to
risk asking for help.

You learn the only thing you must truly fear is the
greatest robber baron of all: FEAR itself. You learn
to step right into and through your fears because you
know that whatever happens you can handle it and to
give in to fear is to give away the right to live life
on your own terms. And you learn to fight for your
life and not to squander it living under a cloud of
impending doom.

You learn that life isn’t always fair, you don’t
always get what you think you deserve and that
sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good
people. On these occasions you learn not to
personalize things. You learn that God isn’t punishing
you or failing to answer your prayers. It’s just life
happening.

And you learn to deal with evil in its most primal
state – the ego. You learn that negative feelings such
as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and
redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you
and poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn
to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges
instead of walls.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many
of the simple things we take for granted, things that
millions of people upon the earth can only dream
about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a
soft warm bed, a long hot shower.

Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself
by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never
betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less
than your heart’s desire.

And you hang a wind chime outside your window so you
can listen to the wind. And you make it a point to
keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to
every wonderful possibility.