Turning the Page

I have found, in life, that I often don’t realize that I have turned the page until I am well past the day when I turned the page.

I don’t recall the day I broke the habit of tuning out my inner wisdom, but I do recall the days after. I recall the knowing that I was ok exactly as I am. I recall the satisfaction of following my own ideas rather than rising to meet the expectations of others. I recall the feeling of being in my own energy, and feeling like I had come home.

When I reconnected with my inner voice, at first it seemed too good to be true. I was flooded with good feelings, good thoughts, and good ideas. I seemed to be super-charged with energy for all my projects. I also seemed to be oddly calm even when others around me were in chaos. I simply tuned them all out and kept the focus of my attention on me.

As I made this a habit — keeping my focus on myself, my thinking, and my feelings — I began to notice that others began to help themselves. Others in my life seemed to step up more and do their thing. Others, in general, were no longer my concern. I began to walk away from the kitchen more and leave the dishes to others. I began to seek out alone time and quiet where I could write. I began to relish the feeling of relaxing, taking it easy, and doing what I wanted, all day long.

A common misperception among the spiritually curious is a belief that your soulful self is other centered. Not true. You only find your own true self by putting the focus on your own true self. And in that alignment you find compassion for others.

And in that alignment you find compassion for others.

My journey turned the page once I accepted all my thoughts as helpful to me. Once I saw all my emotions as indicators of a belief. Once I saw my exact existence as I am today as something to celebrate. Not to change, but to be.

If you are interested in finding your true self, start with a practice of acceptance. And one day, you too will turn the page and realize that you are aligned more often than not. You’ll sense an inner self, who you protect from prying eyes, as evidence of your core being. You’ll even have a knowing that this was how you were meant to live.