What do you think about this statement?

“When you’re married to an idea of who you’re supposed to be, you miss out on who you’re becoming”

What does that mean to you? I wish I could hear you, but at the very least I’m grateful to give you the opportunity to reflect on the question. Before I jump in I want to share with you a message I received on the hotline from Rabbi Mordechai, who’s episode was released just last week. He has a beautiful reflection to share and it’s fitting for the theme of today… (paraphrased for you here)

“We’re looking for a feeling that comes from observation, not from judgement… Like the difference between the love in our marriage and the love for our kids… a constant feeling of love without judgement… it comes from a different place… Follow the feeling that does not come from judgement because that comes from your stories…”

Why I thought it would be fitting to share Rabbi’s thoughts along with my opening statement, is because it all works together. When we’re married to an idea of who we are supposed to be, who our partner is supposed to be, who our friends or family members are supposed to be, we miss out on who we are becoming, who our partner is becoming, who our friends and family members are becoming. As Gerrick shared in his interview, he was so married to the dream of what his career was going to look like that once he had obtained that dream, he ended up staying in a job for far too long, not listening to the whispers from inside of him that the job wasn’t the right fit any longer. As Rabbi mentioned in his message, that’s where we can get mixed up. When we have an idea of what something is supposed to look like and we judge one way or another, we may feel somewhat of a feeling of satisfaction, but it’s empty - it doesn’t fill our bodies with a sensation of love or contentment, hope or excitement.

It is so important to wake up to this, to begin to learn what these genuine feelings that are implications of you listening to your truth, feel like in YOUR body. It’s absolutely human to get caught up in the shoulds and the supposed-to’s in our heads and I’m also not suggesting you stop aspiring to new heights for yourself or in your career or your relationships, but it’s a very different experience, in fact one that takes the pressure off, when we become present, when we lean into unconditional love for ourselves and see what comes forward from there. When we can use our imagination as guideposts for moving forward, but not being attached to expectations or outcomes.

As Albert Einstein said, “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”

What a fantastic reminder for us all… me included. There’s a learning curve to not listening to the faithful servant in your mind as your source of truth and instead listening to your intuitive mind, your wisdom, the truth that is unique to you. But it isn’t impossible - it’s a delightful discovery I make over and over and over again.

Sending love in all directions and I’ll see you next week,

Jess