Saturday Journaling Prompt:

‘Freedom lies in being bold.’ Where could I be bolder in my life?

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Quiet Carmen

Carmen enjoyed working as a hairstylist and got quite a kick out of trying daring new styles on her clients. They were impressed with her creative genius and it wasn’t long before she became a treasured favorite amongst her colleagues. Her avant-garde designs really paid off and it came as no surprise when she landed a senior position at the salon.

Carmen worked long hours but never complained. Her agreeable personality never ruffled any feathers and for the most part, she kept her head down and got on with the task at hand.

Carmen still lived at home with her parents, something she preferred to keep quiet about since most of her friends were either married or doing really well, in their careers. Carmen’s parents doted on her. As an only child, she was spoiled rotten! Despite being almost 39 years of age, they still paid for her vacations, groceries, social activities, car note, gym membership, and pretty much indulged her every whim.

Deep down Carmen knew it wasn’t right but as she did with most things, she quietly went along to get along and didn’t want to rock the boat. Come to think of it, she was much the same with Cameron her boyfriend of 7 years. They were fairly stable and she certainly cared for him. But there were no sparks in the relationship and although she often thought about leaving, she feared being alone. The fear was so great, so consuming, she convinced herself that everything was ok, though inside, she knew she was settling.

Carmen used the same tactics to numb her ambitions of owning her own hair salon. At the core, she knew how talented and gifted she was but she was equally inclined to sacrifice her most cherished hopes and dreams. Dreams of buying a beautiful home. Getting married and starting a family. Finishing her cosmetology degree. And mostly being a kick-ass boss of Carmen’s, Cut Above the Rest, a chain of high-end salons spread across the country.

With a big sigh, she pulls down the shutters and locks up the shop after a very long and tiring day, and heads home to dinner with mum and dad.

Courage Is You

Living fearlessly, and being willing to follow your dreams in the fullest expression of who you are, is the very definition of courage. Courage is looking in the face of fear and continuing on until you get to the desired destination. Courage is the voice inside that speaks up for what it needs and advocates for its wants. It doesn’t live in the shadows, it’s in full glow, anticipating the next adventure.

Courage is the armor you wear when you stand up for what you believe in. It’s the monumental leap you take to get closer and closer to your goals. It shows up as unwavering commitment, uncompromised dedication and as the die-hard defender of communities, families, and causes you support and live for.

But courage also stands with the quiet and unseen. It’s in that moment you open yourself up to be seen. To be vulnerable in the arms of another. To be wholly and authentically you. To look inwardly and confront the dark aspect of your being. To embrace and fly unafraid on the winds of change. To flow gracefully with the highs and lows of life as you gather momentum along the way.

Courage is in between the compassionate and the calm. The angels who protect and the saviors who rescue your plight.

Sometimes finding your courage is difficult. It can be scary. Your brain wants to protect you and so creates all kinds of stories, excuses, and justifications that you vehemently hold onto.

It indulges your fears and false perception of the world. It traps you in your comfort zone deluding you into habitual laziness and apathy. It wants you to be spoilt and entitled to keep from discovering your inherent power. It reinforces negative and limiting ideas you hold about yourself, robbing you of self-efficacy and self-belief. Your brain and by extension your mind, tells you to play it small and so your world is small never exposing you to soul-enriching experiences that support bold acts of courage. Your lack of self-esteem, knowledge, skills, confidence, and self-worth diminishes and shuts down the courage that is within you. But don’t you know, you are courage? Courage is you. It is that inner brave spirit that has always been you.

We all are more courageous than we know, we just need the right motivation!

Let’s work with these 5 questions to boost your confidence and inspire you to be bolder in life.

1. Who could you share your dreams with who would support and encourage you?
2. What’s more important than your fear? What makes you courageous?
3. Where in your life would being more courageous bring you greater peace?
4. What would you dare to do if you were more courageous?
5. So, what’s stopping you?

Ponder these questions over the week ahead. Journal around them to go deeper.

JOURNALING

The therapeutic and restorative benefits of journaling are endless. Journaling can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety because it serves as a sounding board or a release valve for disclosing feelings and emotions. Suppressing or hiding behind feelings and emotions can be harmful to your health and so writing them down, getting them all out is better for your mental health and well-being. By writing things down, you organize your experiences in a sequential way. You can stand back objectively and assess cause and effect and form a coherent story. You gain insight and learn more about yourself, your triggers, motives, and your behavior. Processing experiences, emotions, stress, and thoughts through writing, seems to provide us with a sense of control. Journaling is a valuable mental health tool. Use it regularly and consistently but most of all, have fun with it and discover lots more about YOU!

With grace and gratitude

Michelle

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