Empowering Your Inner Child

No matter what comes along, we’re always standing at the center of the world in the middle of sacred space. And everything that comes into that circle and exists with us there has come to teach us what we need to know.
-Pema Chodron

Read that sentence again.

Do you get that you are precisely where you need to be? That you can trust your healing? Do you get that your mind isn’t running this anymore; that it’s your heart that is guiding this transformation?

Take a deeeeeeep breath. Everything is happening purposefully, trust the process even when it doesn’t make sense. You’re the child that survived and you’re the adult with the courage to heal. The thing with healing is this: you not only survived your environments, you adapted to them. From parents who couldn’t be what you needed, to bullying, to pains that your little self couldn’t process. You’re still here.

Never forget those past versions of yourself. Uplift them and hold them up. You will always carry them with you so see them for what they are: consistent reminders of your resilience.

My invitation to you is to trust the healing process. I was the little girl who’d hide under the bed for hours. I was afraid of everyone and felt wholly unsafe in my body. My mother, carrying her own unresolved trauma, was unable to bond with me. My father, also carrying his own pains, could not love me in the way that I needed. And, in the alchemy and perfection that is the human experience, this would lead me to my life’s work.

This month, find some old baby pictures of yourself. Admire and acknowledge the child that suffered and survived. Notice what stories this little you made up about life and relationships. You’ll see just how much of your own suffering you create. You’ll learn that the biggest thing in your way are your fear-based, self-limiting beliefs. And that’s great news because YOU are the only thing you’ll ever be able to change in this life.

Resist the ego’s attempts to control: “How much longer?” or “When will I know it’s over?” With time, you’ll understand the process itself is teaching you patience and surrender. Your process taught you to connect with the most important voice you needed to disconnect from in order to survive: your own.

Take a moment to acknowledge yourself today and reflect on how far you’ve actually come. You’re a warrior and so worthy of your trust and admiration. Ask yourself: How can I show myself gratitude this week?