Last week if you are a mom, you probably experienced well deserved appreciation from your kids. Hopefully you felt that warm gooey happy feeling in your heart that makes you smile and glow. But what if you didn’t receive that recognition from your kids or what if you don’t have kids to acknowledge and love you?
Everyone deserves to live a life filled with love and loving connections.
So how can we intentionally create and experience more love? Although many of us look for love on the outside, the path to love really begins inside. This Rumi quote describes it perfectly:
Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it. ~ Rumi
Too often, the lack of deep love in our lives comes from a lack of self-love and self-compassion. Most of us are incredibly hard on ourselves feeling guilty for every little thing. And then the monkey mind starts to chatter: “I’m not good enough. I’m not worthy.” “I’m not interesting enough.” “I’m too old.” “What’s wrong with me?”
And of course, the goalposts for what counts as “good enough” seem always to remain out of reach. No matter how well we do, it never seems to be “enough”! The result of this line of thinking is sobering: Millions of people suffer from insecurity, anxiety, and depression, and much of this is due to self-judgment, to beating ourselves up when we feel we aren’t measuring up.
So what’s the answer?
Here are 4 empowering ways you can create more love in your life and the great news? You can step into them starting NOW!
Declare to Have More Fun
One of the most common complaints I hear from women is that they don’t have fun anymore. I was talking to a client who’s attending my upcoming retreat, and I mentioned to her that we’d be doing some belly dancing to connect and liberate our feminine essence (any form of dancing is a quick, easy way to get out of our heads and into our bodies and have fun!). She commented she wasn’t much for dancing and while she didn’t say much more than that, I was pretty sure I knew why.
So many of us have a fear of looking foolish or being judged by other people. Many women don’t allow themselves the freedom to express through body movement because of these fears. Truly nothing stops the flow of fun quicker than the fear of being judged – you stiffen, contract and box yourself in – almost like putting on a straight jacket. It’s almost impossible to have fun when you feel so constrained! On the other hand, as soon as you release the fear of looking silly, you’re able to let loose and have a great time. Make the declaration that you are letting go of caring what others think and you are free to have fun!
Declare to Speak Your Truth
In my coaching practice, I meet a lot of women who are afraid to say what’s important to them because they don’t think they’ll be heard or taken seriously. But when we hold our thoughts and suppress what we want to say day in and day out, we start to feel very heavy. Speaking your truth allows you to live in integrity with yourself and honor your own needs as much as everyone else’s. It brings a lightness to your spirit, a sense of expansion and empowerment.
One of my clients recently began to speak freely with her husband about things she’d never felt comfortable bringing up before. She’d always been careful to think about what was in his best interests, and now she’s addressing what’s in her best interests as well. He was a little surprised at first and didn’t know how to react to this change in her behavior, but she feels incredibly empowered and free.
When you start speaking your truth, you may find that others don’t respond well at first, because they are used to you being and acting in a certain way. Know that by speaking up and setting new boundaries not only are you growing, but you are actually providing them with the opportunity to grow too, even if it doesn’t look like it initially. Believe me, it’s a win/win!
Declare to Nourish Your Mind, Body, and Well-Being
You may decide that this is the month you’re going to release those last five pounds you’ve been holding onto or finally get back into your favorite old jeans that have been hanging in your closet for two years. If so, fantastic! AND you can also make July the month you start meditating/praying, moving your body more or getting more sleep. This declaration is about being more caring to yourself and your body, worrying less about everyone else and focusing on what makes you feel like your most gorgeous, sparkling self.
Declare to Create Balance in Your Life
Just because the kids have all sorts of projects, school events and requests, it doesn’t mean that you have to be at their beck and call every second of the day. Set some boundaries and declare your freedom from the commitments you don’t want to make. Start saying “no” instead of “yes,” and don’t feel guilty about it! Your life doesn’t have to revolve around your kids’ and other people’s demands.
Which of these declarations speak to you? Do you have one of your own for May?
Step into your diamond power and have a sparkling good time this month!
Sparkling Love,
Sherri
PS – A wonderful way to nurture and care for yourself is to get out of town – if you are loooonging for a few days JUST FOR YOU- where you will be loved and cared for, check out the Soul Sparkle Retreat! Join a small intimate beautiful group of like-minded ladies who are looking to do the exact same thing as you – and have FUN doing it! Soul Sparkle Retreat.
