A trip to the principals office…

I recently got called into the principal’s office. I don’t care where you are on your soul’s journey, getting a call from your child’s principal is not going to strike joy into your heart!

There was an incident in school with one of my children and it escalated to the point where my partner and I were called in. This was a first for me; I’ve experienced my fair share of detention growing up, but never a trip to the principal’s office. School-age Josephine would have had a panic attack and frozen in absolute fear, completely unable to speak. Today-age Josephine was certainly not happy about the situation, but I am pleased to admit had a very different response.

I am still in a state of wonder about the whole situation; how my daughter handled it (with unbelievable grace and self-expression), the school, Peter, and I. It was just so different from what I was taught to expect. Do you know what was missing from the experience? What I was taught to expect?

Shame. Guilt. Blame. Fear.

But there was none. From anyone. What? How is this possible?

No shame was experienced. No burden of guilt. And no blame was placed. Which also meant there was no fear.

Do you know what was present?

Compassion. Gratitude. Forgiveness. Truth.

All heart-centric qualities. Compassion for all parties involved and affected by the experience, gratitude for the lesson learned, and the support and re-alignment it provided, forgiveness for self and the mistake, and most importantly truth. There was no story written about what happened, just the truth of what occurred.

Enter the state of wonder. I called my younger brother after the experience and we spoke about what we felt our experience would have been if this happened to us as children; we both agreed…terrible, awful, the shame and disappointment our parents would have felt! How we wouldn’t have been able to look our parents in the eye for all the shame we experienced.

And it would have been very easy to invite in the energy of shame, guilt, and fear; to run the programs I was taught and know so well. I felt my mind race to run these programs, to root out familiar and safe reactions, it wanted to! My mind shouted to me, I know what to do!!! Pick me! Pick me!

But that outdated programming of shame just doesn’t cut it for me anymore. Sure, it’s familiar, but it doesn’t feel…right. It doesn’t fit who I am. Living in the energy of shame feels like wearing clothes that don’t fit right…a bit too tight, itchy, constantly adjusting myself…and also draining.

So, when I refused to run the program of shame, I had to choose to run something else instead. At first, I had no idea what to do. Shame didn’t feel right, and my mind wanted to keep me safe and comfortable and was making a very logical argument for running my shame programming … so I chose to drop my awareness into my heart instead.

I asked my heart, the gateway to my higher self, what can I choose instead? What action is in my best interest, for my highest good? And I felt the energy of compassion rise. And it felt right. It felt easy and natural. So, I let myself choose compassion. I allowed the feeling to spread within me, and I imagined it spreading to all those around me.

And then wonder of wonders…compassion is what we all experienced. Were there tears, consequences, and vulnerable conversations? Yes. And I am so grateful for it.

What I am trying to express is that it is entirely possible to choose your experience. You are not stuck. You are capable of unlearning learned behaviors. You are capable of choosing a higher vibrational experience. Every day. In every situation.

You are not in control of how things happen. You are in control of how you choose to experience it. It does not feel logical. It does not feel comfortable. And it does take practice. The result is wondrous. The result is freedom.

I have made a daily practice of tuning into my heart’s wisdom. Every morning I practice welcoming in and experiencing high vibrational emotions like joy, compassion, gratitude, truth, and wisdom. It’s making a difference. And not just within me, it seems to have rubbed off on the people and experiences in my life too.

If you are interested in learning how to tune into your heart’s wisdom, or connecting with others who are actively living it, consider joining us in the Empowered Heart Mentorship. This is exactly the kind of stuff we will talk about. This is the life-changing work we will embark on together.

You are the only person who can liberate you. Time to set yourself free.

From my heart to yours.

Josephine