Prompt: “As each year progresses, we unknowingly gather many thoughts, beliefs, and patterns to us. In fact, what we are carrying may have been passed down to us from previous generations.
Looking at the thoughts and patterns that may be holding you back from living the life you want, trace back through the generations of your family and see if your beliefs originated generations ago.
In 2016, how can you bring healing to these patterns of thought that are holding you back?”
It’s always difficult to say much about family patterns, because there’s so much I just don’t know or understand. And yet, I can see that there has been a history that may have impacted me. It has manifested for me as methods for coping that can become addictive and dis-ordered, ways of soothing or even masking suffering which ultimately lead to a denial of my truest self.
I also have a cultural history, specifically in terms of what it means to be a woman, a good citizen. This tells me I should be agreeable, quiet, nice, generous, self-sacrificing, and pretty, (which is actually not a single thing but a whole list of things that are constantly shifting and changing with trends and fashion).
What holds me back is a resistance to simply letting myself have what I want, letting myself be who I am. What says I can’t is a whole jumble of fear, mistrust, uncertainty, obligation, and judgements about what is right and wrong that comes together and binds me with “you are not allowed, who do you think you are, you can’t do that, you can’t have that.” I misread my environment, see all kinds of threats and complications and obstacles, and sometimes I just give up.
There’s an avoidance, a resistance I need to burn through. As Rumi said, “love is a fire and I am wood.” Maybe it happens by gently challenging those old beliefs, the misinterpreted limits. Maybe it happens by saying what I mean, having what I want, becoming unapologetically self-centered, and trusting myself.
I love the clarity you hold about this. And what a beautiful touchstone and inspiration that Rumi quote is.
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Yes I so understand about the legacy we have been given just as women! For me, I began writing about how the expectation for me growing up as the tail end of the Baby Boomer generation in the USA was to be both a wife, mother, and successful professional. And all of the challenges of untangling from that. Then I erased my blog post and started over. Yes to getting what we want and not standing in our own way.
“Then I erased my blog post and started over.” I love it. It’s like a metaphor.
Jill-I saved up a bunch of your posts to read when I had time and I swear I feel like I am talking to a new friend and we are like “really ? you too ? ” Good stuff 🙂
I love that! 🙂
Trust ourselves. Yes. I think that is key. And also – for us to quit apologizing for ourselves. Love this. Great post! 🙂
Thanks. 🙂
I love this….”becoming unapologetically self-centered, and trusting myself.” There is transforming magic in that plan. Wonderful
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