In a world obsessed with perfection, it's a paradigm shift to think of pain as the very path to our greatest power. I donno about you, but I am far more inspired by the depth of people who have transmuted unthinkable hardship, than by those who emulate perfection based on societal norms.
Here are 3 ways to turn your pain into personal power...
1. FOCUS on your capacity:
I tutored a child whose parents were drug addicts. Of all the kids I tutored, this 12 year old was the most mature and well adjusted of all of them.
He didn't get ski trips to Vail like his bros, his parents didn't pack his lunch, or take him to after school activities. But his capacity to handle challenge reached far beyond that of a typical child his age.
While other parents in this community fretted about their children's test scores, clothing brands, and social invitations, this kid took total ownership of his own life. And at the ripe age of 12.
"The wound is the place where the light enters you," is one of my favorite quotes by Persian poet, Rumi.
It is our greatest pain that leaves clues to our greatest offering to the world. Stay with it. Follow it. Find the answers you seek.
You would not be who you are proud to be today if it were not for your particular pain.
Your capacity is immense.
2. REWRITE the significance of your pain:
Your divorce took you to your knees
You feel alone and purposeless
You've been battling weight problems for years
You lost someone precious
As much as we'd like to personalize these problems, they are all common. Countless people feel, and go through these same emotional experiences daily.
This does not take away the gravity of their impact on you.
However, you are left with a choice. Only you can decide the significance of your pain. Only you can create the story of what it means to your life going forward.
Did your divorce teach you that you, alone, are enough? Does your weight problem make you more conscious about how you now eat? Does the loss of someone dear force you to think beyond the five senses for how to relate with another?
What does this pain teach you?
When people ask you, communicate your learning via your GROWTH as opposed to what has been done to you and how you've crippled by it.
3. BECOME an authority:
Share what you've been through.
Not in a boastful or self-indulgent way. Not to gain leverage or solidify your ego as a result of your pain. But so that you may become a place of comfort for another.
There are people in your direct community who are going through something similar, even worse. Your vulnerability is true power. The more open we are about our flaws, pains and the hardships we've faced, the more we give others permission to do the same.
We can be a light for another, guiding the way to solid ground.
You are unique and have something incredible to share with this world. The strides you've made as a result of your pain can never be taken away from you. Others can learn from how you've skillfully navigated your path.
There is someone out there right now in desperate need of your thoughts and advice.
Don't be shy. We need each other. Not one of us can do this alone.
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Incredible women, it is only our pain that can further sharpen our spiritual muscle. Our obstacles are the very way to our highest manifestation of ourselves.
May you use the pain that was made for you to lead you to your own personal power.
Love,
Brie
Interested in learning more about ways to find Personal Power?
March 16-23, 2019