self-compassion – Kimberly Gruber

It’s so easy to lose your inner voice, your true voice. It gets hidden away among all the chatter and sounds created by expectations and fears. It can be hard to find because the things that prevent us from hearing it need to be weeded through, moved aside or thrown away. Occasionally, our true voice pokes out of its space and tries to speak, but it’s hard to catch as it soars our way. Someone has tied our hands or else we’ve bound our own. We watch with sadness as our true voice rolls across the floor and falls below the cracks where we stand.

A good way to stay in touch with your true voice is to be its best friend. We spend our time and energy on things that matter to us because they feed our souls. A best friend carries your name in a locket and wears it proudly to keep you close and be reminded of the beauty of you. Your true voice will defend your honor, speak your truth and knows the way that’s best for you. Any voice you hear that tears you down is lying and is not your true voice. Your true voice whispers from the lips of your soul where it lives at the core of your being. To hear it, there needs to be pockets of silence or time away from all the voices that bury your own. Befriending your true voice requires that you unclutter the space so everyone can breathe and move. Your friend needs a clear runway to ride out of your soul on the wings of your spirit so it can land safely and meet with you. Clear a path by settling all the glitter that floats in your head and distracts you from finding each other. Foster the friendship you have with your true voice so you’ll be lifelong friends and always have each other’s backs.

Sometimes, your true voice arrives in the form of a bubble that floats out of your soul. Treat this delicate creature kindly. Nourish it by honoring and speaking to it with gentle coaxing and compassion. When in a space where it might be hard to unleash your true voice, speak supportive words to that bubble of voice and encourage it to be brave. If it’s well received – “Yay!” – if not, speak words of loving kindness to yourself for being true to you. Acts of self compassion keep us connected to our inner most being and remind us of our value. We shower love on those we deem important and worthy of attention. Self-compassion is tending to your own spirit. The practice of wrapping yourself in the love of your own kind words keeps the truest part of you alive and well. Who you are at your core is light, love and your unique purpose. When you treat that light tenderly with praiseworthy admiration, it’s much easier to hear what it has to say. Your true voice gets louder because you’re closer to it and farther away from the noise of others. Spend time alone with your true voice because you’re both worthy of genuine presence and loving attention.

The Divine creates wonderful things and you’re one of them. Be your best version of wonderful. Sometimes, your true voice will be misunderstood or go against the grain. That’s tough, but it’ll be ok. Just be ready and waiting with a healing ointment of kind words and affirming remarks about your amazing light and bravery. Rest and recover if you need to. Try to stay out of the ranks of imposters floundering to be something they’re not because they believe that’s where happiness resides or it’s a good way to avoid pain. We’ve all dabbled in those ranks and it’s an empty proposition. Just remember, your true voice will always encourage you to be you, since that’s in your best interest and the world’s best interest too. Give your time and energy to the building of you and listen. Go outside and let your true voice connect with the light of the Divine. Give it time to recharge with its source so the triangle of you, the Divine and your spirit remains unbroken. Make this your life’s pursuit and you’ll have many amazing moments of knowing what it’s like to be authentically you. Don’t forget to rip up the floorboards in search of the voice you lost earlier. It’ll still be there and waiting for you to give it a go.

Questions/activities to ponder or good journal prompts!

What prevents you from using your true voice?
What feelings surface in you when you fail to use your true voice and why?
When do you hear your true voice? What regular practice would help you hear it more often?
Acts of self compassion nourish the soul. Do you believe that? Why/why not?
Does connecting with nature and/or the Divine help you find your true voice? Why/why not?

The sun doesn’t race its way out into the sky every morning hell bent on being the first one awake. It’s a paced, steady, slow process. No matter how loudly we complain about the sun being hidden away by clouds, she breaks through into full majesty in her own way. If you watch her ascension closely enough, the sun’s colors change in and around her as she takes on the process of rising. That means there’s much going on inside and outside the sun’s being. She’s not affected by the inpatient and fast-paced wants of those who suggest she move quicker or take a different path. The sun would never alter her grand entrance and give up her “ta-da” moment for anyone. She knows that if the world just lets her be, she will gracefully emerge whole and bright with a power to shine gloriously on everything around her. If the frantic could just slow down and relax, then maybe she’d have an easier time shining brightly with dazzling colors illuminating from her own light. The sun needs to follow it’s own process because if not, life on this planet would be so different and not nearly as beautiful.

Take a tip from the sun and slow down. Some answers or next steps don’t come that quickly and require discernment and a look around. Letting the process of your life unfold in a steady manner may leave you feeling like an outlier. You may have been told that if you don’t have a concrete plan that keeps you powerwalking 24/7 or don’t require a post it note to remind yourself to pee, your life will be a mess. They’re wrong. Oh the sun has a plan. She just lays it out on her time using her methods and inner-knowing. She keeps it moving, trusts herself and the universe. She knows the clouds will eventually fade away or knows that she’ll find a way to put out more life-giving light to evaporate what hinders her from shining. The process of the sun rising is the sun’s business and no one else’s. She’s the best one for the job because she works everyday trying to get it right. The sun follows her own path and that keeps her grounded in the universe despite what’s orbiting around her. As she lives out her purpose in the sky, her dazzling light beams radiate all the energy inside her and she openly shares with those willing to bathe in her colors. The sun doesn’t let anyone stop her from her own revolution. She has the answers to what’s right for her deep inside her core every step of the way. It’s never a good idea to rush through the magical moments of a sunrise. You miss a lot of your journey if you’re only focusing on the ending all the time. You miss a lot of wonder and never glean the wisdom found in every step of your rising.

Figuring out what keeps you from finding your place in the universe is your job. Begin with stopping the voices in your head that tell you it’s not possible. The power of our own words affect the amount of light you put out into the world. Every time you practice self-compassion, you feed the light inside you which is always waiting to radiate. When you speak words of love to yourself, the authentic you has a much better chance of busting out because it’s being fed energy that’s pure and life-affirming. Words of kindness, compassion, understanding and love is rocket fuel for your heart and confidence. That energy helps you stand strongly in who you are and the choices you make. This is how you stay on course with your life’s path even when that road gets rocky and rough. That energy of love helps to drown out the voices and expectations placed on you by the world or the unrealistic ones we sometimes create ourselves. Words of self-compassion and love remind us that every step of this journey is important because this is how you learn, grow and shine brighter. Some steps hurt. But self-compassion manifested from your own soul, using your own voice keeps you rising and shining when you don’t get it from others. Live each moment like it matters understanding that your growth and wisdom add beautiful colors to each step of the journey. Own your light and its impact. Notice how the colors change as you rise, each presenting itself to the world with a uniqueness that is spectacular because it’s yours. Invest in your way of doing things with self-compassion to keep you grounded and moving at a reasonable pace. The world needs your light all the time despite how dimly it shines sometimes. Your light is a life-force and a necessity to this planet. Do your best to take care of it, listen to it, feed it what it needs, shine it brightly at your pace and rise. The sun is a star after all.

Questions/activities to ponder or good journal prompts!

How have the expectations of others affected your ability to follow your own path?
What can you learn from slowing down your pace? How might you begin to focus on each step of your journey?
Do you feel you carry many of life’s answers deep inside your core? Why/why not? What keeps you from hearing their calling?
Do you regularly practice self-compassion? Why/why not?
What mindset or thoughts would you like to manifest which will propel you to shine?

Kimberly Gruber

Be salt and light – of value and of love.

Tag: self-compassion

Your true voice.

Rise and shine.