{"id":2080,"date":"2021-11-23T20:19:25","date_gmt":"2021-11-24T01:19:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deborahblackwell.com\/?p=2080"},"modified":"2021-11-24T09:37:55","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T14:37:55","slug":"my-apologies-soul-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deborahblackwell.com\/?p=2080","title":{"rendered":"My Apologies… Soul at Work"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

By Deborah Blackwell<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The gratitude holiday is upon us! You know, the one where most of us cringe, binge, and if we\u2019re lucky, stay hinged. This holiday in particular, brings people to the table who may or may not get along.<\/p>\n

Truth is, we are usually just being our true selves. Or are we?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know about you, but I\u2019ve lost people through the years, and I know it\u2019s because of me. I can blame it on my upbringing; my family wasn\u2019t the best at modeling stellar behavior. They didn\u2019t understand boundaries, or how to detach from drama, or even how to not create it. But it\u2019s not their fault. We\u2019re all only human. I\u2019m just happy I learned\u2014albeit a little late\u2014to step back and take a closer look at who I really am. I wondered, am I trying to be some version of who I think I should be? Who am I putting out there? At the risk of beating myself up\u2014I wasn\u2019t pretty.<\/p>\n

I wish I knew then what I know now: that our soul can lead the way.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t know much about your soul, I can promise you it\u2019s special. Our soul is our true nature, our real essence. It\u2019s like a pilot light that shines even when we don\u2019t. But, when we\u2019re being challenged, or facing a lot of stress, the light can get pretty dim. We forget who we really are, and people may start to fall out of our lives, don\u2019t engage like they used to, or stay distant when we\u2019re around. And we wonder, \u201cWas it something I said?\u201d The answer is probably yes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s usually a reason why we behave like we do, but we may not be aware of what we\u2019re projecting. When we feel bad, it shows. It\u2019s palpable, even if we think we are hiding it\u2014especially at the holiday table. Before we sit down, we may need to do some soul<\/em> work<\/em>. Go deep. Reflect on ourselves and our life. Shine a light on the self we know is \u201cin there,\u201d and let her take the lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We know when our soul is leading because we feel better. It feels peaceful, calm, and true, no matter what else is going on.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m so grateful for my own soul work and want to say to all those I offended, upset, irritated, overwhelmed, or burdened, I apologize! We all have a past, yes, it happened, and no, we can\u2019t change it. But since it shapes our future and more importantly, our present, we can do our best to make peace with our life right now. Stop hiding behind our circumstances and remember who we truly are. We are not the person stuck in a rut, but the soul who climbs out of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We can at any time, be who we are meant to be.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

How do we do soul work? First, we take a deep breath and ask, \u201cWho am I, really?\u201d Then, we start to release our mental burdens and those shadowy, uncomfortable thoughts. We start to see ourselves through the eyes of the people around us. Observe ourselves as if we were our friend\u2014and become our own. Focus on what feels good, and especially on what feels true. Listen to our intuition (ironically, it\u2019s our gut,) trust what we feel and take small steps forward. We may not see a quick shift, but others will. A neighbor mentions our smile. A friend says we sound happier. A relative notices our spark. We catch a sideways glance in the mirror and don\u2019t feel disgusted. Soul work works.<\/p>\n

Of course, some people will always expect us to be the person they knew and refuse to see us in a new light. That\u2019s OK. We know who we were, and we know who we\u2019ve become, even if they don\u2019t. There\u2019s no reason to say it, because as we live it, we share it. No apologies necessary. Just be your true self.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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