Several years ago I had some sessions with a life coach. I felt like I was stuck and the business I was marketing and promoting was going nowhere. She was very helpful and what I learned was very insightful. As we talked from session to session, I felt like more and more was being revealed. I was at a cross roads as to whether to continue or get back into the corporate world and chuck my dreams. Our last meeting, she told me she typically takes time before the meeting to meditate about her client and ask what it is they need and this is what she told me. She said in her meditation she was told to tell me, “The degree to which I love myself will be the degree of success of my business.” This came as a shock as I never really connected the two. Now, it was a statement I could not ignore. As Dr. Wayne Dyer says, “You can’t give away what you don’t have.” Do I really not love myself? I thought I had come a long way with this but if I had the evidence would be there – success – and it wasn’t. I have to be honest with you; I am still working on this. I’m better at it than I was 4 years ago when I met with that life coach. Here are some of the things I have learned and still learning:

You teach people how you want to be treated.
Listen to the small voice and follow it.
Be comfortable with saying no.
Fake it ‘til you make it. You’re not really faking it you’re just “thinking from the end”, as Dr. Dyer says.
Be authentic. People want the real you to come across not someone you’re making excuses for.
Laugh, laugh, laugh!
Don’t be afraid to go for it. Give it all you’ve got (Dr. Dyer: “Don’t die with your music still in you.”).
Don’t be afraid to feel – feel what it’s like to love yourself.
Pay attention to what your body is telling you and honor it.
Take time for yourself – get quiet and reunite with your source and recharge.
Give yourself permission to receive.
Bless yourself – you don’t need others’ approval.
Acknowledge that what you have to give to the world is valuable.

I’m sure there is a lot more I could add to this list and you could as well, personally, if you thought about it.

A couple of days after that last meeting, I had a dream. I had this statement going on and on in my mind. The dream validated what I was told only now it was no longer just in my head, now it had dropped in my heart. I dreamt there was a family reunion of some sort and we came from all over. It was an important gathering at an old house that seemed like home to me. There were family members gathered both alive and dead. You can imagine the feelings of seeing a grandmother or father again that had passed on. Getting a chance to hear their voice again, see their eyes and hug them. That alone was worth more than whatever this meeting was for. We talked and caught up on what everyone was doing and then it came time for us to get ready for the event. We each went to our separate rooms and I went to mine. I freshened up and changed and went over to a long oval mirror to make a final inspection. As I looked in the mirror, I was taken back and stunned. There I stood in a wedding dress. This event was a wedding and I was the bride. I couldn’t believe how radiant and beautiful I was. I seemed to glow. And then I realized that I had fallen in love with myself and everyone had come to celebrate me. When I awoke, I could still feel the glow and energy of love. It’s still with me today when I recall that dream.

You and this world were created by an intelligent being. There are no mistakes. Realize your worth and value and let your brilliance shine.

Photo by Benjamin Earwicker at www.sxc.hu.home

From the kitchen table – Pat
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