If you were part of my Joyful Challenge, it may seem like we just spoke. If you weren’t, it’s been a while! Sorry about that. My energy was consumed (in the best way) by the uplifting and inspiring participants I had in my Joyful Challenge. I can tell you, it was an amazing 21 days filled with openness, support, self-discoveries & insights, techniques, and more. I will forever feel connected to all of you who participated. For those of you that missed out, I will be formulating something freakin’ awesome. Soon. I promise to put all of my energy, excitement, knowledge, and inspiration into it, to create the most jam-packed program possible! I have lots of ideas for upcoming programs, so I’ll be sure to let you know of all of the details when I have them. 🙂
Like I mentioned, the challenge we just completed was pretty amazing. But one thing stuck out more than anything:
Authenticity.
The participants were so open, and true with themselves and with one another, which made for such a freeing experience. It allowed for freedom and personal growth. This authenticity sincerely served as inspiration for me in my own life to start living a more authentic life. I started seeing signs everywhere that I had to start living my truth, and rid myself of relationships in my life that were not so authentic. I knew it was time.
Simply put, I’ve dropped the facade that could so often sneak up in different settings. The funny thing is that it usually came from such good intentions. For instance, I might tell someone I’m working with that I’d be able to get something done FAR before I can actually get it done. When someone asks if a pretty large task can be done in a week, and I already have a zillion other tasks to do (along with my day to day life), why the hell would I agree to this? Because I didn’t want to disappoint. I wanted everyone to be happy. Great intentions, Tara. But this would lead me to scramble, rush, stress, and overwhelm my plate. Not so great!
Yup, I’m a people pleaser. But guess where it leads me? To exhaustion. This is a theme that has crept up in various areas of my life, and the end result is always exhaustion. Resentment. Stress. Depletion. Not enough time and energy focused on what I actually want to create in my life.
So, how have I changed this?
It’s been pretty simple- I’ve just started saying how I truly feel. If someone asks me to get something done in an unrealistic amount of time, I usually feel that anxiety rising. Hesitancy is creeping up. It’s usually easier to ignore this and say, Sure! But now- I listen. Hmmm, if I said yes, where would that lead me? How would I feel? If the answer isn’t pretty, I speak my truth. (This is known as ‘Satya’ in sanskrit). I acknowledge to myself, and to the person I’m chatting with, that unfortunately this won’t be able to get done, due to xyz.
And boom- Freedom. Liberation. Peace. Truth.
Is the conversation always so straightforward? No. Many times, I encounter people who simply don’t understand, or aren’t happy with me, and aren’t afraid to let me know. But I’ll tell you something- I still feel freedom. I still feel peace. Because I’m being me.
I speak my truth.