Honesty and Courage for 2015

Annya Kai Art found on Pinterest 

“Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle.”  

- Lewis Carol, Alice in Wonderland 

At the close of 2013 I declared that 2014 would be a year with no self imposed limit, it would be a year where I would remain open to the infinite possibilities of life. It has become a tradition of mine to set an intention at the start of each calendar year. The intention is usually inspired by some lesson I learned in the past year that I would like to explore and adventure through to enrich my life and to evolve into a wiser and more joyful version of myself.

Infinity 2014 has been a beautiful year. It was in exploring beyond imagined boundaries that I discovered that there is a need to be honest, authentic and courageous if I wanted to grow and blossom. Although I had set the outright intention to live limitlessly I was and probably still am holding on to fears and ideas that no longer serve me. The fear of letting go caused numbness, I was ignoring myself in the chase for achievement and applause.  The moment I let go of the what ifs and shoulds and was honest with myself and others I felt light and free. There was no longer an inner struggle, there was harmony.   

It takes courage to be honest with yourself, to make a truthful assessment of what makes you happy and not what should make you happy. The journey to living authentically is not smooth and it is certainly confusing.  Your family, your friends, your teachers and mentors, the media and THE WORLD will all suggest (read tell) of how you should live your life, what you should strive for and what will bring you ultimate happiness.  We all know what is on the checklist: an education (preferably from a University…in the “right field”…not one of those useless degrees), a career ( preferably one where you are sure to make an enviable amount of money), a spouse (preferably one that has achieved the first two items on the checklist) and things (the latest, the greatest and preferably the more expensive and flashy)…but what if you have ticked off all these items and cannot recognize your own life. Life is too short to race to the finish line collecting the ticks as you descend down that checklist. Ray Davis tells us  that “Following all the rules leaves a completed checklist. Following your heart achieves a completed you.” 

I remember struggling earlier on this year with a decision I knew I had to make. I had been so caught up in "life" that it was not until I was on vacation that I began to feel the discomfort. As I spent time on my own wondering around unfamiliar streets I also began an internal journey through the neglected corners of my soul. It can be scary when you face yourself. I remember feeling a tension and mourning as I sat quietly in a pew in Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece Cathedral La Sagrada Familia praying for an answer. It is hard to discover your truth when you have bought into the facade of the shoulds and what ifs and it can also be hard to share that truth with the world. We are not the only ones invested in the way we live. Our lives affect the emotional stability of our loved ones too and that consideration has a huge role to play in how we navigate our projected realities.  

Despite these distractions there is always something inside of you that will nag. Do not ignore this indicator. It will feel like a discomfort or a sadness. Sometimes it manifests as being irritable or easily upset or slightly depressed and if ignored long enough it will turn to numbness. Deep down we know what will make us happy, but the relative security of having lived as we are supposed to will keep us prisoner with ourselves guarding at the gate. It takes courage to grab into your own pocket for the keys to the prison cell you have put ourselves in and  step onto the path of living authentically.

I believe that honesty and courage will create fertile soil for the bliss I crave. But that will only be a part of the journey.  It will take discipline and determination to nurture the life I must create for myself, my authentic self.  

“Only the truth of who you are, if realized, will set you free.” 
- Eckhart Tolle  

HERE IS TO HONESTY AND COURAGE IN THE NEW YEAR!

• What wisdom has 2014 given you? 
• What are you hopeful for in the new year?
• Do you make resolutions or set intentions? 

Leave me a comment, lets get this conversation going.