We cannot grow to progress if we don't apply ourselves in our own lives.
Challenges are opportunities to seize the unknown terrain so we can forge ourselves stronger and wiser after having overcome such lessons, they will often be the very things our soul runs away from. The people or situations we initially say a big, "NO thanks" to, or try to avoid.
It takes work and it takes effort to truly transform through such challenges.
It may be as simple as being annoyed with an individual, to then find that they were the key role in showing you your inner issues and wounds within you to surface for confronting and healing. Or learning to apply qualities such as compassion, kindness, and tolerance to such a person for your own development. Or being shown habits that no longer serve your growth and must be shedded to be your better, best self.
I grew up in a way that taught modes of operating, mindsets, and habits I didn't agree with, yet inevitably adopted into my way of being. My soul would war against these things within me, feeling so guilty, terrible, and confused with why I lived a life suppressed in shame when I wanted to be more transparent, open, and free in spirit.
I don't look down upon my upbringing nor would I change it to have been any other way, as it was the key to my transformation through shedding today. There are many aspects in which I am grateful for my childhood as we were all provided for within the means, and such limitations has taught me the value of the life that I work for now as I raise my family. There are also cultural values I still uphold and respect to impart with my children.
However, the inner struggles I had to address within myself took self-awareness and courage to face all the sources of my shame by identifying such ways of being that were not true to me, understanding that it was a part of my childhood conditioning, and realizing I now had much work ahead of me to do something about it.
Shedding. A lot of shedding. Broken down, so the layers not of my soul can strip away. To allow my soul to then guide me in this new way of being, led by my inner light.
It took constant and consistent effort to learn for myself and then retrain my conscience to favor honorable things such as the Truth, to speak the Truth, and stand for the Truth. Something I now apply this self-training in my adulthood and instilling with my children for their quality of character. I will do my best in guiding and instilling these things with them, but also with the understanding that each of my children will have their own experiences to learn their lessons and grow from, responsible to apply themselves along the way.
To this day, as I choose to continually operate in the integrity of Truth as I believe it is a core value for building strong foundations, operating in this way has set my soul free from the burdens of such a vicious cycle and has saved me in times when others are committing the lying. I find myself sometimes so blunt with the truth that I come off sounding like a liar as I'm also warring within to be comfortable that I am actually telling the Truth and not just convincing myself of it. I do care to tell the Truth. Honest.
Then, the most vital and essential part of the transformation, is consistently applying being it - being the transformation. It will become you and form your character that not even you yourself will need to doubt.
It's always uncomfortable to try something new, but when you don't apply new approaches to issues that continue to boomerang back to us, we can't expect and likely won't get different results. When you don't change old or bad habits, you can't expect improvement or changes for the better. When you don't apply yourself, you can't grow and make progress for the better in your life.
May you be willing to take up challenges that will call you to action in applying yourself. For then your soul will be richly rewarded in growth that takes you higher in spirit and character.
With LOVE. Always,
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