hello friends & Happy Earth day!
last week, i had the amazing pleasure of gathering with Katie Elliot to talk about creating brave, empathic spaces. it reminded me that there are certain words we believe are universally understood, when in actuality we don’t even have an awareness of what we mean when we use them. we are using words assuming that the person receiving them has the same image and feelings associated with it as we do, not acknowledging that words can hold different meanings for each of us. what certain people feel to be safety, kindness, and comfort can be erasure, silencing, and threat for another. i've been told i wasn’t making folks feel safe when i was excitedly talking about a subject with my hand gestures. i've been told the volume of my voice makes others uncomfortable regardless of what i was talking about. their safety, kindness, comfort didn't leave space for mine because they felt different.
this use of words and language has shaped me. at my core, i navigate the world through the felt-knowing of words. i ask questions and listen deeply so that what your words contain as your truth come though, not my assumptions, not societies projections. words are the containers for our truth to either be emboldened, expressed, or minimized.
the embodiment of a word is what makes it alive in our living. the words that anchor our live ask us to explore a felt-knowing of the truth they need to express, your truth. this exploration of your anchors (or values) is key to being in integrity with what you care about, what makes life worth it for you within yourself.
it’s not enough to talk about it, you gotta be about it too. words live through your living of them.
which brings me to my inquiries for you, dear friend: what are the words that come to mind when you think about living fully? what is your felt-knowing of each of those words? if you scan your current life, are you living these words or simply speaking them?
let this lead you in discovery.
self-practice: jot down or talk about the words that come to mind when you think of living fully. re-read them or have someone reflect back to you what they hear. can you feel them in your body? what do you notice about how these words are real or missing from your present life? feel free to respond and share with me what comes up!
would you like to go deeper? check out my solo-discovery zine plotting the seeds to fulfillment or let’s connect through a coaching partnership!
