**The mini podcast/audio recording is available by hitting the play button just above this post x
I recorded the above footage last Thursday while I took some time to catch my breathe….I am someone who loves people and loves being in the company of others and especially in the work I do, I tend to give a lot of energy away & I wouldn’t have it any other way but to balance myself out and to keep my energy levels in good shape, I always lean on nature to quieten my mind and to reset my own thoughts and feelings. When I was younger I didn’t recognise the importance of taking quiet time. But in the last number of years I’ve worked very hard on myself to get to know me better. And in getting to know me better, my life has improved ten fold for not only me but for all who I spend time with too. My shoulders are now relaxed and my mind is quiet. I can look within and feel what I feel at ease now. It’s not even a process but more a natural state of being for me. I count myself very lucky to finally have found this place within myself & to not only recognise it but to be accepting of me too. (Recognition & Acceptance)
Without effort, I feel peace, calm and serenity as a stable state within my being and I can easily feel joy and gratitude too. I feel compassion and understanding for others without effort & this is my true gift when it comes to helping others find their footing and also helping them find their healing path.
I have looked within and seen all my parts. The good, the bad and the unknown. I am always looking out, leaning in & learning too. We are all just learning & trying to find our way in this world. I have felt my feelings and I do not hide from them. Tears have fallen and I have allowed myself the grace to be human. I hope this never seizes & I feel this is the strongest aspect of who I am today.
In recognising myself and who I am inside, I think I’ve finally found a really secure path to living my life well. By being able to easily feel other people’s feelings through my empathic nature, I now know that is a gift. It’s not something I take for granted and I now know I’m here to help, to heal and to offer hope in this tough, heavy world. And for that I am so grateful. The magic of being able to lessen the weight of a cross in someone’s life or to be able to shine light where someone is feeling darkness is something I will never take for granted in myself. See for me it’s two way. We never know when we might need help and vice versa isn’t it an honour to be able to help someone else in their time of need too. My light shines from within and so does yours. The magic of human connection! The magic of helping each other. The magic of lighting the path ahead not for my step but for someone else to be able to see their’s.(We are here to help each other not to help ourselves.)
I remember a colleague once stating to me, ‘Louise you are doing too much for too many, that won’t get you anywhere in this world’….I understood where they were coming from but see that’s not how I looked at it then, nor is it how I look at it now. Instead my instinctive caring nature is my gift, it’s who I am and I am not going to change or fight that. Instead ever since embracing it, my shoulders have relaxed. My head and heart have cleared in ways I can’t explain. Moments such as minding my dad when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, to taking care of my mam after he left to stepping in beside Gran when she needed someone - these were my greatest moments as a human, as me and these were the moments in my life that I realised I really like being me too. I’m not a mother, I’m not a mountain climber, I’m not a rich successful business person, not an olympic swimmer nor can I tick lots of boxes society might like to put before me - instead I am just me.
I am at peace with who I am inside. I am a good person. A decent human with a good heart. And every day I wake, I try my best. I try my best to be a good person in this world and I try my best to be a good person to all I love and to all I am yet to love. I will never shy away from that. I’ve really worked on myself in the last number of years, and in doing so, the true libra has really shone through & I’ve finally reached the balance within myself. The middle ground is now in play and I’m really proud of that aspect. I don’t always get it right but in recent times it’s just there.
I’ve found my true self and in this moment I’m recognising it, in the hope that as you read this, if you are wobbling, if you are unsure, if you feel lost, that my words might inspire you to remember that your one true self is your magic. It’s your gift. Your authentic self is not something to be questioned nor criticised nor hidden away from. But instead the world needs you. We need YOU. We need your special unique magic and we’ve never needed it as badly. We need people to step into their own light and to shine out their light too. We need you to be YOU. Because when you are you, it brings about a movement that allows others to feel less afraid and to feel less scared to just be themselves. And when I say just be themselves, that is not a small thing, instead that is a huge thing.
With such a huge rise in so many people suffering from depression and the mental health of society in decline in every way, we now need as many people as possible shining their lights outwards. And that simply means to be ourselves. To be our true authentic kind hearted selves. To be selfless to each other in holding a lantern of hope forward where darkness seems to be winning on so many fronts.
I hope this small substack from me today might help in reminding you how special you are. If you are doubting yourself or someone you know is wobbling within themselves, you might forward this message onto them.
Life is not easy but often all we need to hear is that we are not alone and that together we can come through anything. Also that we are not different to each other, instead we are all the same. Trying our best to be the best format of ourselves and most importantly the happiest we were ever be on this earth will come when we lean in and realise all we were ever looking for lies within.
Shine your light. Be proud of your light. Be you. Be magically.
Love and loads of it and until next time,
Keep looking up,
Lou xx
***Little bit of news:
I hope to run a zoom get together or two in the next week or so to share with you the experience I had as I travelled New York, Boston and Cape Cod recently.
I’d be very grateful if you might comment below if this is something you would like to be part of or witness to. I will formulate a zoom room link within the next week, where I will chat in a relaxed social manner about the trip and all the messing. I think it will create a smile upon your face as it truly was a magical experience and I’d love to share with you exactly what happened as me and Granny took to the states! ;)
If you might like to purchase the story of Granny Nancy, the link to that home is here: www.livingandlaughingwithlou.com
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