Courage, Compassion and Connection

I used to joke with a friend of mine that his dictionary must have been missing the “C” section when he was young. He had no compassion and had a hard time connecting, and although he appeared to be overly confident, he lacked courage. I also said that kindness should have started with a “C,” which was lacking too. In all seriousness, this frustrated me to no end. We would debate this continually. He would tell me that I was always making excuses for others, and that is why our world is so messed up. No one is held accountable. I believe we can be compassionate and accepting while still holding people accountable for their behaviors. One day as I was walking through Target looking for some books for my friend’s granddaughter, I stumbled across a book called The Gifts of Imperfection – Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are by Brene’ Brown, Hazelden Publishing. It was like this book was jumping off the shelf into my cart—a guide to living a wholehearted life. Practicing courage, compassion, and connection in our daily lives is how we cultivate worthiness. This book is fantastic. I will tell you I felt just like the author, emotionally, physically, and spiritually done. I was not living life; I was pushing through, soldering on, and sucking it up for the greater good. In this book, you explore the power of love, belonging, and being enough. The greatest challenge for me was believing that I was worthy right now, right this very minute, not when I was going to lose thirty pounds or if I could make my partner happy again or when my business was successful. What I learned is Worthy NOW, not if, not when. You are worthy of love and belonging NOW. Right this minute. As is. An important part of being authentic is letting go of what people think. Not going to lie; that was a hard one for me. Choosing to be authentic meant – having the courage to be imperfect and allow myself to be vulnerable, exercising compassion that comes from knowing that I was made of strength and struggle, nurturing connection, and a sense of belonging can only happen when I believe I was enough. Authenticity demands wholehearted living and loving – even when it’s hard. Mindfully practicing authenticity during our most soul-searching struggles is how we invite grace, joy, and gratitude into our lives. Those of you that know me know that I tend to be a perfectionist. Letting go of perfectionism and cultivating self-compassion is tough. Perfectionism is self-destructive and addictive. Where perfectionism exists, shame is always lurking. In fact, shame is the birthplace of perfectionism. As we move into 2021, join me in digging deep, get deliberate, get inspired, and get going. Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It’s about cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think that I am enough no matter what gets done or what happens.