100 Days of Wisdom: Wisdom Day 76 – The Wisdom of Embracing Your Vulnerability

Wisdom Day 76: The Wisdom of Embracing Your Vulnerability

Read about the 100 days of Wisdom™ Project by Tonya Marie

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[This post, by Tonya M. Evans, appeared originally at ByTheSpirit.net. Reprinted with permission.]

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” – Brené Brown

Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW has spent the past decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness and shame. Brené’s 2010 TEDx Houston talk, The Power of Vulnerability is one of the most watched talks on TED.com, with over 8.5 million views. I blogged about her conversation with Oprah Winfrey on OWN TV a few posts ago.

Recently, I’ve poured over the pages of her book The Gifts of Imperfection, which I believe is an essential text for anyone — like me — recovering from the crippling dis-ease of perfectionism. Dr. Brown describes perfectionism as another very toxic form of fear and as a major obstacle to our ability to live with the type of authenticity only possible when we are vulnerable to the very things that perfectionists spend all of their time and attention avoiding … like the plague.

But what I’ve learned from my own spiritual journey, and what Dr. Brown explores and explains in her work, is that embracing the parts of our “life stories” we’re afraid and shamed of is the only way to experience love and belonging and joy in all of their spiritual glory.

[Read the full post …]

Be well … & WISE!

Tonya Marie

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Wisdom in the Whisper™ and WisdomintheWhisper.com by Tonya Marie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at www.wisdominthewhisper.com.

100 Days of Wisdom: Day 5 – Embrace Your Shadow to Find Your Light

Wisdom Day 5

Read about the 100 days of Wisdom™ Project by Tonya Marie

Follow me on Twitter @WisdomWhispers and the hashtag #100daysofwisdom for more reflections on life, love and the wisdom of Spirit!

Our dark side exists to point out where we are still incomplete, to teach us love, compassion, and forgiveness — not just for others, but also for ourselves. And when the shadow is embraced, it will heal our heart and open us up to new opportunities, new behaviors, and a new future.

Debbie Ford, The Shadow Effect: Illuminating the Hidden Power of Your True Self

Greetings!

The light within is that part of the Divine, higher self that exists within each of us. However, as we grow up and experience all of life’s ups, downs and in betweens, our light gets covered up and eclipsed by what Debbie Ford refers to as the shadow self. Carl Jung defined the shadow self as “the thing we think we are not.”

If you’re not sure what your shadow self is, observe what angers or irritates you about others — and there your shadow will be. Rest assured that about which you are most judgmental is what you desperately fear or altogether deny is in you. Our shadow self is that part of us we fear would make us unlovable or unsupported if people knew.

The irony is that we are never truly able to heal, overcome and evolve into the fullness of who God created us to be unless and until we embrace rather than resist our shadow selves. So instead of shunning your shadow surround it with patience, kindness and compassion. Instead of fighting or denying, lean in to the lessons your shadow exists to teach you and invite healing into your heart.

Our shadow self is both our mirror allowing us to see where we are broken open, hurting and fearful and the pathway to our wholeness and a full and fulfilling life.

Embrace your shadow to find your light and there you will “find your own shine”!

[Listen to Tonya Marie’s signature piece, Find Your Own Shine from the book & companion CD SHINE!]

note: temporary streaming issues have been resolved. 9/27/2012 tme

{SHINE! at CDBaby.com}

Wisdom in the Whisper™ and WisdomintheWhisper.com by Tonya Marie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at www.wisdominthewhisper.com.

Wisdom Lession #11: What I Learned About Love from Thich Nhat Hanh

“To be loved means to be recognized as existing.”

~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~

To me this message refers both to love of others and of self. My prayer for you, myself and the world is that we know and love ourselves fully. Love your light and your shadow.

In fact, loving the light lets you shine more brightly, thereby diminishing the shadow part you’d rather hide.[See Debbie Ford’s brilliant work about the shadow self]

Your light and shadows combine to make you beautifully human. See yourself. Know yourself. Love yourself. Repeat!

Wisdom in the Whisper™ lessons and WisdomintheWhisper.com by Tonya Marie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at www.wisdominthewhisper.com.