Day 5 New You

Day 5 New You. Sometimes I deny the new self that is emerging because I see how much there is not accomplished of what I set out to "do". The critic comes in and tells me I'm lazy, I spend to much money on my self-development and what do I have to show for it? "Bad girl, you deserve lumps of coal in your Christmas stockings! You've been a lazy bum!" says some critical inner parental voice.

Like this morning, I look at my smartphone before getting out of bed, which I've been "trying to discipline" myself to avoid. I open yet another email from Daily Om (now I'm on their email list and get all this other great juicy personal development stuff to addict myself to!) I take the brain quiz, realize I have to get my lazy ass out of bed and weigh myself and to my surprise I have lost a few pounds and have gone below my current goal! Even during this holiday eating time and not doing as much exercise. I am at the lowest weight I've been in probably 15 years!

This reminded me of how many amazing accomplishments I have had in many areas of life this past year which are worth celebrating, all by adopting small practices in my daily life for my health and home environment and other areas. I think of Maya Angelou's quote (or is it Marianne Williamson or Nelson Mendela) that our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. I experience it as a dance between the dark and the light within me. Giving and receiving, the darkness and the light are one big infinity loop ∞. I choose to stand in and bask today in this gratitude and greatness, which ironically is very humbling. Today, I will play with this on this Christmas Day.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”