An Awakening

© Photographer: Gerardomoreno | Agency: Dreamstime.com
Thank you, Nicole, for posting these wonderful sentiments......some of the BEST words of WISDOM I've heard in a LONG time.

Reposting them here 'cause they are just THAT good! (With a few tweaks I'm learning from my own journey)...Everyone has their journey, their own truth ~ and I'm so thankful for friends in Blogsphere from whom I'm learning so much. Blessings!

"An Awakening"

A time comes in your life when you finally get it...
When in the midst of all your fears and insanity
you stop 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 stutter once or twice,
you blink back your tears
and through a mantle of wet lashes you begin to look
at the world through new eyes.

THIS is your awakening...

You realize that 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 that the fact that he is not Prince Charming
and you are not 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 newly found confidence is born of self-approval.

You stop bitching 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.

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 a result of all the messages and opinions
that have been ingrained into your psyche.
And you begin to sift through all the conditioning you've been fed
about how you should behave,
how you should look,
how much you shouldn't weigh,
what you should wear,
where you should shop,
what you should drive,
how and where you should live,
what you should do for a living,
who you should marry,
what you should expect of a marriage,
the importance of having and raising children,
or what you owe your parents.

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 bygone 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!

Then you learn about love.
Romantic love and familial love.
How to love, how much to give in love.
When to stop giving, and when to walk away.
You learn not to project your needs or your feelings onto a relationship.

You learn that you will not be more beautiful,
more intelligent, more lovable, or important
because of the man or woman on your arm
or that child that bears your name.
You learn to look at relationships as they really are
and not as you would have them to be.
You stop trying to control people, situations, and outcomes.
You learn that just as people grow and change, so it is with love...
and you learn that you don't have the right to demand love on your terms...
just to make you happy.
And, you learn that alone does not mean lonely...

And you look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact that
you will never be a size 5 or a perfect 10
and you stop trying to compete with the image inside your head
and agonizing over how you "stack up."

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside,
smoothing things over, and ignoring your needs.

You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated with love,
kindness, sensitivity, and respect, and you will NOT settle for less.
And you allow only the hands of a lover who cherishes you,
to glorify you with his or her touch...
and in the process you internalize the meaning of self-respect.
And you learn that your body really is your temple.
You begin eating a balanced diet,
drinking more water, and taking more time to exercise.

You learn that fatigue diminishes the spirit and can create doubt and fear,
so you take more time to rest.
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,
in life you get 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
from 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 that the only thing you must truly fear
is the great robber baron of all time, 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 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.

I'm also learning that God always comes through ~ NO MATTER WHAT
That He responds to my honesty, my vulnerability, and my faith, and that
faith only comes by hearing His Word.
I'm still learning the meanings of words like "restoration" and "miracles" & "trust" from experiencing them for myself.
And I'm finally believing Him & His love for me. By asking Him to teach me.
{My name actually means "Teachable" in Hebrew ~ so I'm opening myself up to that destiny, at last!}

I'm learning to deal with evil in its most primal states - fear, distrust, rejection & pride.

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...
and you try to make yourself a promise -- to never betray yourself
and to never 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 God,
and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

Finally, with courage in your heart
and with your GOD by your side,
you take a stand, you take a deep breath,
and you begin to design the life
you want to live as best as you can.
You begin the "grandest version of the greatest vision" you have of yourself!!

Live a truly magnificent life!!