Awakening
A time comes in your life when you finally get it, when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out "ENOUGH" – This is your awakening.
You come to terms with the fact that you are neither Prince Charming nor Cinderella. And that, in the real world, there aren't always fairy-tale happy 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 but that's OK. They are entitled to their views and opinions.
And you learn the importance of loving and championing yourself and in the process, a sense of new found confidence is born.
You stop complaining 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 all of the time and that it's not always about you.
Drs, Hal and Sidra Stone
So you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself and in the process, a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance. You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and 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 as a result of all the messages and opinions that have been ingrained into the psyche. And you begin to sift through all the junk you've been fed about how you should behave, how you should look, how much you should weigh, what you should wear, what you (or your spouse/partner) should do for a living, how much money you should make, what you should drive, how and where you should live and what you owe your family and friends.
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 believe in. You learn that it is truly in giving whatever we can that we receive. And that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a "consumer".
You learn that the 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 an elephant to dance. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries. Then you learn about love. How to love, how much to give in love, when to stop loving and when to walk away.
You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be.
You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. And you learn that alone does not mean lonely. You also stop working so hard at putting you feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs. You learn that feelings of entitlement are perfectly OK, and that it is your right to want things and to ask for the things or help you want. You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated with love, kindness, sensitivity and respect and you won't settle for less…
And you learn that your body really is your temple. And you begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin to eat a balanced diet, drink more water and take more time to exercise. You learn that being tired fuels the doubt, fear and uncertainty and so you take more time to rest. And just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play and to do the things you love.
You learn that, for the most part, you get in life 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 the only thing you must truly fear is 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 own terms.
You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you think you deserve and that bad things sometimes happens to unsuspecting, good people. On these occasions you learn to not personalize things. It's just life happening.
And you learn to deal with evil in its most primal state, the EGO.
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 refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.
Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than your heart’s desire.