The Power of Self-Acknowledgment

"If dandelions were hard to grow, they would be most welcome on any lawn.” ~Andrew V. Mason

I can still remember when I thought dandelions were simply BEAUTIFUL flowers. My friends and I would pick them at recess and give them to our moms when we came home from school. Sometimes we would sit under a tree and make wreaths of them and put them in our hair. I made many a wish while blowing those cottony seeds and watching them float about my head and journey off toward what HAD to be a magical place.

Over the years, I learned that many people did not like dandelions and considered them to be a nuisance. I never really stopped thinking that dandelions are beautiful; however, knowing that they were considered weeds took away some of their magic. Eventually, they became ordinary in my mind and I stopped picking them. I no longer make dandelion wreaths or make wishes while blowing on their seeds (although looking out this cafe window, I'm getting the itch to go out and do so...:)

As we become "grown-ups" this phenomenon happens more often. We get caught up in the function of the various things in our lives, the roles that we play, and we struggle to see the essence of our experience, the hidden beauty, the flower within the weed. Meanings become black and white, and beliefs become more fixed in our brains. "I am bad if I do____. I am a success if I do____." We can always be better and more. If we do not have a dandelion free lawn, what on earth will the neighbors think? :)

Something that I believe we all struggle with as we become more fixed in our lives is the ability to acknowledge ourselves. It is easy to be proud of ourselves when we land that new job, experience money flowing in, take a risk and have joyful results; but what about the periods in our lives when we are struggling to pay the bills, we took a risk and we have hit a roadblock? It is during those difficult times that we need to see the good within ourselves the most, but it can seem nearly impossible.

One thing that I have many of my clients do on a regular basis is make a list of all the ways that they would like to acknowledge themselves. "How would you like to acknowledge yourself despite the struggle that you are now in? What might be the gifts or hidden opportunities on this new path? In what ways are your efforts working? In what ways are you already 'enough?'" At first, it can be a challenge to see the good amidst the negative feelings. You might think, "I messed up, and that is that." Perhaps you have hurt someone or you are hurting because of your choices. Perhaps you cannot possibly imagine that your efforts will ever be enough.

This is when I challenge you to get creative. Your sadness or frustration in itself indicate that you are a thoughtful person, you are someone who asks more for your life, you care about yourself and others, you had the courage to take a risk despite the possible consequences...the list can go on and on. There are SO MANY beautiful things about you. Keep digging honey!

It is a challenge to see the good amidst the struggle or to see the courage and inspiration in decisions that we make everyday, but when we can do this, we transform our struggle. We are no longer the BAD person that we are labeling ourselves. Everybody else's lives are not WAY more interesting. When we can acknowledge ourselves and the ways in which we ARE love, we ARE goodness at all times, then we have the power to bring magic back into our lives.

Dandelion seeds might not blow off to the kinds of "magical" places that I was thinking as a child, but I can now see that the earth is a pretty magical place in itself. When you can begin to shift your mind to see this magic within yourself and your own life, no matter what your current circumstances, you are are able to see yourself as so much more than a "weed." You become a blossoming flower.

Would you like someone to help you shift your thinking and see the positive within your struggles? By golly! That's one of my specialties! :) Through a series of powerful inquiries and looking at your Astrological Chart I can reveal some powerful tools that you have within you to start living a life of passion and purpose, NOW. Contact me for a free sample session so that we can explore the many ways that my coaching will support you in living your best life OUT LOUD!: igniteyourvoice@gmail.com.

With Love and Deep Gratitude,

:)Melissa Simonson
Spiritual Life Coach
www.igniteyourvoice.com

Copyright Melissa Simonson 2008