Bathing Suits and Blogging
Tis the season for bathing suits, long beach days and doing things in general that bring out the inner child in all of us. We play more, laze more, lighten up, brighten up and even seem to show more, especially more of our…skin. Whether in shorts, bathing suits (one piece, bikini or, heaven forbid, a speedo for some brave souls!). We’re a little more fearless and lot more relaxed about it!
Oh to have a lazy, crazy day of summer attitude when it comes to our purpose in life, to the times we need to show up more. For me that came most recently in the form of writing this blog post. It’s my ‘bathing suit’ equivalent, that brought with it all of the anxieties and trepidation that come along with anticipating emerging onto the beach that first day of summer amidst the tanned and toned. Am I in shape enough? Bronze enough? Or in this case, Am I articulate enough?, Engaging enough? Inspired and inspiring enough?. Only too eager to say “maybe not quite yet…”, I felt tempted to stay back into the safety of the shade of the world in which I’ve been living thus far, publishing quietly and only occasionally.
Then I realized my calling is all about answering those internal cries of “be afraid, be very afraid, don’t go down that path!” with “Be very afraid and KEEP GOING!”, because we are usually called to areas, not where we’re strongest, but where we can show our strengths that are only God-given. It’s precisely when we acknowledge our vulnerability, our humanity, our weakness, our “NOT enoughness”, that we are made Divinely strong and can have the most extraordinary impact.
So here I am. Ready or not, I’m “on the beach”, if you will, showing up in blog form for the first time, but definitely not for the last. I’ll be regularly posting in this new world of blogging and beyond, hoping to make an impact on your life and helping to inspire you! Helping you to see and access the power in your own God-given journey –past, present and future.
Here are some ways YOU can take that step into whatever your version of the bathing suit moment may be:
Identify the blocks to showing up as your authentic self – what stays in the shadows has more power than that which we can see. So ask yourself what the fear is about? What is behind it? Then look it straight in the face and call it by name. Suddenly you’ll notice that fear, anxiety, soften and not seem as intimidating as it was in the dark. What we see, we can address.
Ask if this is a healthy fear of being seen or one that’s deceptive – Fear is a God-given emotion that is very useful in the right circumstances (e.g. facing a bear). However, our human experiences and our own insecurities can twist a harmless situation into one that becomes laced with fear because our insecurities are always hungry to be fed. They THINK they’re valid fears, convinced they are protecting you from a catastrophic end. However, they’re really just masking, limiting and causing you to shrink back or to NOT experience all that you dream of in life.
Thank the fear and bid it on it’s way – you have a purpose to fulfill and a you need to be seen in this world and this fear doesn’t need to hold you back from that any longer. Getting close to it, ironically, allows you to be rid of it.
Trust, have faith and focus on all of the ways God has shown up and blessed when you’ve taken that step – When we give our minds and hearts evidence of past success, the future success is far more likely to happen…and to happen sooner! You literally can change your brain when you remind it of these things. When we have trauma in our pasts, we are conditioned both mentally AND physiologically to follow those thought patterns. There are literally fissures in the brain formed by repeated negative thinking, so speaking truth and citing evidence to the contrary actually allows your brain to form new pathways, leading to a different experience emotionally AND a different outcome in your life.
ACT, Take the step! – it may not be right, it may feel far too revealing, and yet if it’s part of your authentic self and part of your purpose in being part of this earthly community of which we’re all a part, then others are waiting and needing to hear it from YOU. This is not about you, after all, just like posting this blog and being seen in a new way isn’t at all about me. It’s about me fulfilling a part of my God-given calling, helping people to see the power in their journey and THAT is about so much more than me!