Hey {{ subscriber.first_name | capitalize() or "friend" }},
Have you ever heard, read or saw something that had you feeling a type of way?
Maybe you are reading things on social media, or watching videos or getting messages in your inbox from me that might trigger you, hurt you or even bring up feelings of shame or guilt.
Who is responsible for your feelings?
Is it the person who made the statements, comments or videos, or is it you?
In this climate of increased social consciousness and discussions on world views, I've experienced some readers of my content and comments and viewers of my videos, accuse me of trying to make them or someone else feel a type of way.
This has always surprised me because I don't have the power to control how anyone thinks or feels.
And, by that same token, I don't give my power to anyone to control my thoughts or feelings.
You and I are 100% responsible for exploring what feelings come up for us, why they are surfacing and how we react or respond to them.
Certain feelings may surface in us as a result of someone's words or actions, but no one can MAKE us have those feelings.
Our feelings are deeply personal.
I have no idea what feelings will surface inside of you by my words or actions.
You have no idea the feelings that are triggered in me by your words or actions.
Let me share an example with you:
When I was training for an endurance challenge a few years ago, I heard my husband tell his friends that I was crazy for getting up at 5:00am every morning to go to the gym and do my workouts.
As I heard him say it, I felt a deep pain inside. I was hurt by those words. My thoughts were, why is he calling me crazy and making fun of me when I'm challenging myself to do something I had never done before.
In that moment, I felt unsupported and it hurt.
I know it wasn't his intention to hurt me and he had no idea that it would cause a feeling like this in me.
It was my responsibility to share my feelings with him. Not to blame him for making me feel that way, but to let him know how I felt and what came up for me when I heard that.
As a result, we connected over this incident and had a real and vulnerable conversation where both our hearts were heard and I understood his intention and he understood the root of my feelings.
Do you hear what I'm trying to say here? Let's connect, not blame and defend. Let's listen to each others hearts. Let's commit to getting it right and not being right.
We have an opportunity to have deeper connections as a result of social distancing.
So, if you are someone who is feeling a type of way from what myself or others are saying, I want to invite you to connect. Connect with me, your family, your friends and your colleagues.
Connect to hear each other's heart.
