Tag: past

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IS THERE A DRAGON IN YOUR STORY?

This image literally gave me chills. It represents an all too familiar image of a trauma-filled past that had to be confronted.

The last few blogs have focused on the condition of our soul. Today I want to share my thoughts and some of my own experience in dealing with the healing of a trauma filled soul.

A common word used for our past is “DRAGON”. There are books galore in the self-help section that help guide you in the process of “slaying the dragons of your past”. One of my favorites is “Your Brain is always Listening” by Dr. Daniel Amen.

I absolutely love books. They are a great way to put us on the path to awareness. However, the day will finally come when you have to apply what you read. A person has to seek deep into their own emotional crevices and take the path that works for them.

I became an advocate for counseling after 2 years of diligent emotional and mental work while sitting on the couch of a well-trained professional counselor. I penned that journey into Escape from Darkness: A Perspective from the Couch. I really didn’t begin writing the experience with intention of binding a book. The many unedited tear-stained pages filled with multiple words straight from my soul became a dumping ground for toxic sludge I had carried with me for years. In fact, the thought of sharing those deep ancient secrets with ANYONE was terrifying at the time.

This is an excerpt of a letter I sent to my counselor during the healing process:

“I’ve been thinking about the ability to live “from heaven to earth”. Living out of heaven’s perspective – instead of my own thoughts and ideas. I’m certain it would take away this wimpy unworthiness that continually grabs me by the heels. I am fearful of loneliness and isolation. It’s like I’m looking at a gap that I have to leap over to get to the other side and I am afraid that I’m going to fall through it. It is so deceitful.”

……The distractions that bombard me are familiar thought patterns that I actually interpret as something I need to survive. Sometimes they even pose as deep dark secrets that could surely bring my fate if ever exposed.

………A few days ago, the dragon I once feared with my entire being diminished to a mere cloud. I understand the reason it had grown to such a looming force in my mind. Much like a violent storm – it picked up the debris of tragic situations and eventually grew into a cloud that took on the face of a dragon. A beast that found me in my sleep and in my wake.

This, my friends, is a clear picture of how those dragons are created and of the baggage they carry.

I am grateful I wrote these words from such a raw place so I can share them with you. Facing my past was hands down one of the most courageous things I have ever done. I will never down play the true strength it takes to untie from trauma.

Words cannot properly express how surprised I was to find out that once “my story” was out of my head, it morphed from a “dragon” who continually taunted me into a mere tool of encouragement bound up neatly with my name and a title on the cover.

Everyone has a story. Some include dragons and some do not but nevertheless, there are stories that have not been told. Not everyone will write a book or a blog but nevertheless, the story still remains and it should be told in some form or fashion. The world we live in today yearns for encouragement and hope.

I leave you with this encouragement. If a dragon lives in your story– pull your sword of courage and slay the thing. Use the process that works for you to turn it into a helpful tool for society. The opportunities for sharing are endless.

Be that rare someone who can be trusted. Trust happens when someone else can see over the mountaintop that you are only beginning to scale yourself. Trust happens when their voice of hope rings down from the top as an encouragement to put one foot in front of the other. It is a great comfort to hear a gentle voice coming from a place you can’t yet see. Be that voice and by all means

Enjoy the Journey – VB

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Are You a World Changer? “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. ~Ghandi~

The growth of the scattered poisonous seeds of trauma from childhood were used to create the first layer of the foundation of fear. Fear had pinned me behind the walls it had built on that foundation so early in life that I grew into adulthood believing there was nothing more to life than what I had already seen. I believe most folks never look over the walls. It is why there are only a few who have walked this earth with such a strong influence that they left an impact for hundreds and even thousands of years later. They were the handful of those willing to throw themselves at destiny. They would not let their past experiences become their identity or let fear of failure stop them. Fear is only powerful if we succumb to it.

Fear is relentless; it does not grow weary. Fear is strengthened by layers of insecurity, unworthiness, rejection, failure, and more. The walls built on the foundation of my belief system were so high, I did not know my own potential was confined within the limits of their boundaries. I thought I was living the best life possible. I did not know I was dragging old stuff from the past around with me everywhere I went.

This is an excerpt from my own memoir “Escape from Darkness”. It seemed to appropriately sum up my thoughts as I watched a short clip of recent national news. What in the world is happening? Right or wrong, people will fight for what they believe. They will even go beyond the limits of the law to make a point. Sadly, they may even work from inside the law to fight for what they believe. However, at the end of the day – we all put our shoes on the same way. We all share the commonalities of our own personal vulnerabilities of our past. Our belief systems were formed by our environments and it is what we know…unless we dare to venture out and truly search for what we don’t know.

I have several earthquake instances of awakening in my journey which I now lovingly refer to as “aha” moments. My willingness to explore the perspectives outside of my own prison of deceit opened up a whole new world that brought many opportunities with it. I may have never bumped into those opportunities or new relationships had I not been willing to explore some uncharted territory. My point is this: Ultimately, FEAR is at the root of the erratic behavior we watch on the news, see in our hometowns, and even in our own homes. Fear of the unknown and certainly fear of that which we cannot control. Fear truly is relentless and will push us beyond strength we have never even considered of ourselves.

SO the question is do we annihilate fear, learn to live with it or turn it into a driving force for the good of mankind? I believe the answer is YES to all three of these suggestions. Fear that draws its strength from our past does have to be annihilated through us facing it head on and hitting it right between the eyes with truth. We will always live with a certain element of fear because the more brave and courageous we get the more we will expand our territory of new things. We will continually face giants of resistance with each new endeavor who would like nothing more than to keep us from fulfilling purpose. Finally, when we learn we are actually much more powerful than fear – we can turn it into a positive force in our lives and use it to help our fellow man. Now that I am no longer haunted by the fear that confines and makes me afraid but instead strengthened with courage and curiosity by the fear of entering into unknown fields that hold hidden treasures of opportunity, I am able to change the landscape of my own community with gifts and talents I didn’t even know existed.

I leave you with this encouragement. Don’t be threatened by your past failures, rejections, beliefs, or insecurities. Let them be a stepping stone to your true self. Become a driving force for the good of mankind! It only takes one view of the current news to bring inspiration to present the world with a new way of thinking.

Gandhi said it this way: “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him…J Have a fabulous week my friends and by all means

Enjoy the Journey – VB