Approval-rating

Yesterday I had to do something really challenging. I had to tell a gal I was planning on working with that I'd changed my mind.

What's so difficult about that? Well, she's a friend and I respect and admire her quite a lot. And the thing I'd changed my mind about was working with her.

Having to do this triggered some of my deepest fears. I didn't want to disappoint her and I didn't want her to think ill of me.

For most of my life, I've been controlled by these fears. The decisions I made were motivated by my desire to be liked, my need for approval. When I began to change this behaviour and be changed by following intuition and Guidance, I began to experience freedom from fear and anxiety and my life got a whole lot better.

But the fear comes back. It's an Old Belief System (Old BS) and it's deep-rooted. I inherited it, like an ugly heirloom. You can't give it away.

Or can you?

When I teach yoga and we are at the end of a class, lying on our sides after the final relaxation, I often say, "Let any residue of fatigue or tension slide out of you. Give it to the ground. The ground can take it."

Think of the ground, it's many layers, it's unfathomable depth. Think of the whole Universe, it's inestimable size. The Life Force of Everything. What if we could give our fear to this Power? It's certainly big enough to take it.

So this is my prayer: Take my fear. Take my need for approval. Take my desire to be liked.

I am giving away the ugly heirloom I inherited. I am giving it to the Ground (of Being).

And guess what? It works.

One word (or two) of caution: When we pray to have the need for approval removed, we're given opportunities to practice living free from that very need.

For example, I had to tell my gal friend that I'd be working with someone else. The idea made me want to vomit but I trusted my intuition, asked for help and told her. She was great about it, by the way. And my fear was gone.

Inspiring Message of the Day: I will trust that the Universe is big enough to hold my fear. I will ask for the fear to be removed and then accept the opportunities that come my way to remove it.