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It's Time...




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The irony hasn't escaped me that as soon as I let go of my friday series "Favourite Thing On A Friday", because I've not been able to post on a friday, I'm able to post on a friday...

What are the chances?  Anyhoo.

I've been thinking this week about the picture I posted a short while ago "Bloom Where You Are Planted".   And I got thinking about what stops us from blooming.  I think we all want to be happy, fulfilled, blooming fabulous.  What is it that stops us feeling that way?

I used to think that my happiness depended on external circumstances.  So I spent a lot of time telling myself I'd be happier if...  they stopped behaving that way,  I achieved more,  I were slimmer,  I were wealthier,  I were funnier... less sensitive? Most importantly for me, I told myself I would be happy if I were healthier.  Not ill.

 I was "shoulding" myself and other people.

Do you know what I mean?

I was judging myself harshly and telling myself I "should" be different than I was.  And I was judging other people and thinking they "should" do things differently.  And by differently, I meant the way I thought they should be doing things.  I determined my internal happiness by what was going on in the world around me, what other people were doing or not doing, and what I thought other people might be thinking about me.  Basically, I put my happiness in the hands of everybody else except myself.

And it felt miserable living that way.

Then, things changed dramatically, and most of the externals of my life as I had known them, fell away.

And I realised something that has changed the way I see myself and the world.

If I carried on waiting for life to stop being messy before I could feel happy, I was going to be fairly miserable for quite a long time.

I realised,  my happiness is determined by what's on the inside not the outside.  I can bloom no matter what's going on around me.  I can choose to let my heart blossom right now. Just the way I am.  It's not an easy thing to do but it is simple.

As I see it, there will always be something we find messy going on in our lives.  There'll always be difficult things happening around us.  There will often be downright painful things, that cause deep sadness and that feel overwhelming. But we don't have to let those things stop us from being amazing.  Or even to let those things stop us long-term from being happy. We can choose to accept the uncomfortable, deeply challenging things of life, and open our hearts anyway.  We can be brave and give ourselves permission to be fabulous, and let our hearts bloom.  It's time.

 

13 comments

  1. Lovely post - made me think! Thanks x

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  2. So well spoken, beautiful heart!
    In the life-giving words
    of Mr. Rogers
    "I like you just the way you are."
    gentle acceptance is a powerful
    tonic:)
    thanks for sharing your beauty,
    Jennifer

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  3. Wow. Great words, beautifully written x

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  4. So beautiful and powerful and wonderful... and true! Thank you for your lovely words. I made the choose a little while ago and I am the happiest I have been in my adult life. And my happiness is only dependent on me. How awesome is that? How lucky are we to have figured this out?? Big hugs! Sarah xxx

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  5. A lovely post. I can see your artwork as a series of fridge magnets. I have inspiring sayings on my fridge as reminders.

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  6. I'm grateful beautiful ♥Emma for your sharing. Sweet reminder it's time to let my ♥heart blossom and bloom even more resplendently. Much LOVE, Susie♥

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  7. I was reading a really interesting article about Post Traumatic Growth, about how its possible to use life changing situations for bettterment rather than suffering with them.
    It got me thinking as to how often circumstances show us better ways to live that we may not otherwise have found.
    One of those lightbulb moments!
    xx

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  8. Thanks for the reminder that we don't need to live in those "shoulds"....

    I have the same fantasy...if only I weren't ill, what would my life be like? Wouldn't I be thinner, and my hair shinier?! :-)

    All we can do is take it one day at a time, Emma.

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  9. Isn't that often the way? As soon as we give ourselves permission not to do something, we are freed up to do it!
    Acceptance. It's such an easy thing to say and such a hard thing to achieve. But you are right, accepting where and who we are is key to being happy, regardless of what is going on around us. Bloom on, Emma! xxxxx

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  10. A few months ago I saw a little phrase scrawled somewhere. It was the kind of thing you could see on a bumper sticker, or motivational poster, or one of a million "shared" facebook status updates. The kind you usually see, smile, then move on and promptly forget.

    But in that moment, it reached out and grabbed me and really made me reflect. Since then, it's come back to mind many times over.

    Here it is:

    "Happiness can only exist in this moment"









    :)

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  11. The kindness I have for others I am going to try to give myself.

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  12. Sending healing thoughts.

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