It's Time to Soar

Perhaps you were misaligned in the culture you were born and raised in. 

Perhaps you were the orphan, the black sheep, the rebel, the outsider, the scapegoat, the misfit. 

Perhaps your soul was too wild for this world.

Given the pain of being misaligned, you might have learned to bend our souls to survive.

You are not the only one.

We started by moulding ourselves into a more socially acceptable version facade,

We made efforts to ‘pass’ amongst earthlings when we felt like an alien.

We tried to ‘mellow out’ when our intensities were met with an unwelcoming gaze.

We learned, painstakingly, with all our energy, to drown our inner voice so that we could fit in. 

Being haunted by the threat of being ostracised, we have spent our whole life constructing a facade that would allow us to ‘pass’ normalcy. 

We became hyper-vigilant and cautious, picking up the smallest negative social clues so that we could edit our behaviours accordingly.

Since our vibrancy and excitements were met with nothing but blind stares or puzzlement, we realised sharing made us lonelier than not sharing.

The minute our achievement stood out, it gets chopped down; so we learned never to reach high. 

Opportunities became threats, and we self- sabotage before anyone could destroy us. 

We did these, and only to one day wake up to a deep, painful emptiness.

We have forgotten our true nature— the wild soul that we were born with. 

We thought we could protect ourselves by playing small, but stifling our soul comes with huge costs: 

The constant inner conflicts; 

Feeling confused about our identities and desires;

Not being able to take in joy and pleasure;

Unable to continue on the path that we have been on;

Waking up every day depressed and unmotivated;

Doubting our relationships and becoming increasingly intolerant of others;

Existential guilt for we are not living life to its fullest;

Fearing we are letting our life slips through without living it.

We are depressed because we have denied our soul’s truths. 

We feel empty and numb because our soul has gone into hiding. 

We are like wild animals trying to domesticate ourselves, trading our natural exuberance for the crowd’s approval. 

Leaving the familiar ground of the identity we have invested in is never an easy task, but a wake-up call will inevitably come.

Sometimes, life very ‘helpfully’ sends us a crisis that forces us to face our truths.

Then, we realise that it is not enough to exist as a function of someone else’s— spouse, parents, friends, society- projections and wishes, as life is too short for any more day of internal deadness. 

Dear intense and gifted ones, you no longer have to play small to be safe.

Look around you- look carefully and lucidly at your current reality.

Feel how firmly your feet are rooted to the ground and the tremendous resilience in your roots.

It is now safe to stand up for yourself and to stand in your full glory.

If anyone attacks you, gaslights you or manipulates the situation, you can see it so clearly that you are immune to such manoeuvres.

If anyone puts you down, spreads rumours about you, you can trust that your true self and integrity will eventually shine through the smokescreen.

If anyone questions “Who do you think you are?’ You say: “ A humble soul who dares to be real.”

The false authorities of your past no longer have power over you. You are free from the tyranny of toxic envy or competition.

The threat of abandonment or rejection no longer haunts you. 

You no longer have to play the black sheep role they gave you.

You no longer need to use false humility, self- denigration, inner critic, self- sabotage, to protect yourself from your light.

Look around you: Most of us are too busy enjoying the love, kindness, creativity you have to offer than to judge you.

The world is ready to celebrate your beauty, your success, your glory.

Soar.

“Maybe you are what you can't not be.” 

― John Green 

THIS WEEK’S EXPERIMENT: DRAW YOUR DREAM

Close your eyes, and imagine yourself tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now, 10 years from now, or any other future date of your choice.

Imagine how you would like to be.

Imagine yourself somewhere you’ve never been.

Imagine yourself being with the people you enjoy the most.

Now, in quick strokes, create a series of self-portrait that represents what you see.

Without thinking much about it, start by making some marks on the paper, and let what emerges guide you further.

Put what you have made on the wall or somewhere visible, and see what comes up for you in the next week or so.