Last week’s blog, Listen Closely – Is That Your BS Talking, was a glimpse into my own beliefs about a dress I’d not been wearing and why. You might be laughing at that, but as I wrote then, our beliefs about who and what we are, the ‘what we think we should be’, underpins even the most benign choices we make. It’s not about the dress.

Metaphors are magic for a life coach.

Our external experiences are always a reflection of our internal thinking and beliefs and metaphor is a path to discovering what we really think and believe. I got to thinking about the metaphor of this dress. What does this dress represent about me? My life? Why am I keeping something that brings me joy stuffed way back in the darkness of a closet? Could there be a part of me that was afraid to fully express this joyful, colorful, and vibrant side of myself? Oh…this could be true. Nonetheless, something has changed. Something has prompted me to take it out of the darkness.

Recently, I had an interesting exchange with someone who challenged my positive approach to life. I consider myself a positivity practitioner. It’s a choice I make every day and an important one. I realized there was a time when someone calling me out about my belief’s would have shut me down. I’d withdraw into myself, old BS (belief systems) unconsciously sending me back into hiding. Who do you think you are to be this happy, this smart, this whatever? My happiness takes from others happiness…like there’s only so much happiness to be had.

This time was different.

I’m different. I’ve come to embrace my positivity and I stood up, from a place of love and compassion, rather than shut down. Perhaps that’s why it was time to take the dress out of the closet? It’s not about the dress. What I am releasing from the closet is the joy of being me. It’s about me coming out of hiding and owning this part of me, the positivity practitioner – the joyful, vibrant, and colorful me.  It’s about self-love and self-acceptance. Showing up fully in a way I hadn’t before now, and it’s powerful.The dress is simply the metaphor, a guide into this deeper truth.

I’ve come to know that happiness begets happiness. There is no limit to the amount you can have or share. It’s a choice you make. Practicing positivity doesn’t mean there are no moments of difficulty in my life, or that I don’t experience sadness, frustration, anger, grief. I do. However I see these as experiences, they are not who I am. Feelings and emotions are informants. Good or bad are labels we give to them. I prefer to see them as guideposts along this journey that help me choose the next step to take. I can choose to do that in a positive way. You can too!

It’s not about the dress. It was never about the dress. It just never is.

From my heart to yours,

LAST CALL!!! Registration is about to close on this magical retreat. Nurture Your Inner Goddess – do something outrageous for yourself!

Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash