Welcome to Week 10: LOVE & ONENESS
Guess what? It's the equivalent of finals week for our self-love journey, except there's no test! Yippee! I am feeling all the feels right now, not just because this week is all about love, but because I am so deeply grateful to have been on this adventure with you. I'll save my big "Thank you" for next week, but please give yourself a giant hug for me because you're all up in my heart right now! (If you have some catching up to do before this final week of L-O-V-E, all previous videos are still available HERE.)
Week 10 is our opportunity to explore how our own personal self-love determines not only the way we see the world, but also how we show up in our interactions with others. Every single time we are faced with judgment, every single time we are triggered, we have an opportunity to choose love or separation. When we take the time to explore, accept and love ourselves first, we have a much better chance of choosing love in our everyday lives. Here's what I mean . . .
Are you feeling a little duped since I said that this week is all about love and then I spent half my video talking about judgment? LOL. I know it's not necessarily fun, but I promise you, if you can create a habit of seeing your judgment and triggers as teachers, you will have oh so much more love for yourself and others. And this is the last week, so I say we go big or go home . . .
OUR "homework" for Week 10:
JOURNAL PROMPTS:
- In what situations do you find yourself being the most judgmental and/or feeling the most triggered, and what qualities/characteristics of others bother you the most? This is not an easy exercise, but it can truly change your life. Go deep, get humble, be vulnerable with yourself. You are the only one who is going to see this, so this is the time to really put it all out there. If you need some motivation, here are a few of mine:
- People who talk too much and don't make the effort to listen. People who seem to be "perfect" at everything they do. When someone continues to talk about the "problem" and doesn't want to get into solution. (I will share in the next question what this teaches me about ME!)
- Now for each quality/characteristic that you listed, contemplate what that could be telling you about yourself. This can take some time, so try to be patient in your reflection. Some might be fairly clear right away, others might take some time to work through. And if you need help, you could always ask someone YOU TRUST COMPLETELY to offer their experience of you (please notice my capital letters!) and/or feel free to reach out to me as well. Here are mine:
- People who talk a lot drive me nuts because I like to talk a lot! I want to be the one talking! ;-) Hence, I could really tone it down somtimes and work on being a better listener.
- People who seem "perfect" trigger me because I am still working through some issues with perfectionism and comparison. This is an opportunity to practice having more grace for myself, reminding myself that we are all imperfect with our own unique gifts.
- People who talk about the problem and don't want to get into the solution bother me because it is a giant relfection of the amount of time I spend worrying about my own problems! When I encourage others to get into the solution, I am really talking to my damn self!
- See what I did there? Have fun! LOL.
- In what areas do you have trouble offering forgiveness and grace? Toward yourself? What about toward others? Do you notice any parallels with the two? Is this helpful or hurtful to your self-love journey? What about in your love toward others?
- Take a moment and journal how you feel about the following: We can only love, accept and forgive others to the degree that we love, accept and forgive ourselves. Now might be a good time to revisit your answers to questions 1-3 if you feel like it. ;-) Really explore this though; it has been a major life-changer for me.
THIS WEEK'S PRACTICE (Just one, but it's a big one!):
- Every single time you feel judgment, separation, anger or agitation toward another person this week, remind yourself of the following:
- This person and I are the same at the core. Soul, spirit, truth, LOVE. Our humanness is just getting in the way at the moment.
- I have no idea what it's like to be this person. What their day has been like, their life, childhood, relationships, etc. My perception of this experience is currently limited by my own imperfect human experience.
- This is an opportunity for me to learn something valuable about myself (remember, "just like me!"). What am I judging/avoiding/denying in me that is being projected onto this other person? What am I not fully loving, accepting or acknowledging within myself?
- I can either choose LOVE or separation. How can I choose love right now? Offer some grace? Forgiveness? Acceptance? Understanding? Compassion? Take a "time-out" and reconnect later? Potential new mantra: Legacy of love, legacy of love, legacy of love, legacy of love. :-)
OK, my friend. I am cheering us on for this final week and then I will check in with you one more time next week to see how you're doing. This week is pretty intense, so I'm always here if you need me. I love you lots and lots and I send you mushy, gushy happy holiday vibes!