Seeking Approval

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIT9-VQvUgo

"The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself." -Mark Twain

In the book that I’m currently reading (previously written), the latter clause of a sentence reads “approve of who you’re becoming.” I don’t even care about the context of the sentence, that statement alone has given me a simplified way of checking in with myself, and has inspired me to do it more thoroughly. And I have been lovin’ it! It’s like I get to really see what I stand for, and I get to challenge myself to really STAND for it. This heightened level of consciousness is drippin’ into all sorts of areas, subjects, ideas, etc. And I thought it was worth inviting you to “run it” with ya’self, and determine your own “approval rating.”

I’ll share a short (not-so-detailed) story. A while ago, I was all set and ready to act in a way that is totally outside of my norm, and I was thrilled to do it! HA! Most of my friends supported me, and I think it’s because they just felt like it was my turn to let loose. And letting loose I was! But I had one friend who I shared my experience with, and she was NOT having it! Not only did she not support it, but she was not in favor of anyone who did. Her stance was not that there was anything wrong with what I wanted, but that it was wrong for me. She was emphatic, and she said that “anyone who knows me knows that this is not who I am!!! And if they didn’t care enough to try to remind me of that, she didn’t trust where their interests really lied.” Now, I’m not saying that I’d go that far, nor am I saying that she could have really done anything to save me from myself…but what I really honored and appreciated was her willingness to risk how I felt about HER in the moment, in order to save me from how I’d feel about MYSELF in the future. Personally, I believe that that can be an expression of love. BUT, not everybody wants this. Some people understand love to be an agreement (verbal or nonverbal) with whatever it is that they wanna do at the time, even if they will not be happy the results. Others of us are comforted by people who will challenge us in a healthy, loving, and effective way. But regardless of where we stand on how others show up for us, there is something most magical about the experience that we have when looking in the mirror.

And this leads me into the questions of the week: First, do YOU approve of who you’re becoming? And how do you assess that? And when we see our brothers and sisters sowing (or investing) into a life that they don’t actually want, should we take on the responsibility of seeing this as a community matter and actually try to redirect them in some way, or should we all mind our own business and focus on our own growth and development? Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself if you approve of who you’re becoming? And what are some key areas that we can look at to help us determine whether or not we’re heading in a direction that meets our own approval? Let’s talk.