What is the key to finding your greatness?
Life breaks sometimes.
Turns come that were not expected along the way.
Upset and pain are landmarks on most of the street corners on our paths. Despair, hopelessness and loneliness seem to lurk in the dark spaces of life.
Each one of us have struggles. Whether or not we share it outwardly; we all face our own battles. Some struggles are like paper cuts. They aren’t very deep, but they are a constant pain, always reminding us that they are there. While other struggles knock the breath right out of you and drop you to your knees.
For most of us, we would prefer to live a life that is void of any struggle or pain. In a world that is covered in fake perfection and unreal expectations; struggles and pain seem unfair. We tend to compare our lives to the ones that are portrayed on our Instagram and FB feeds, wondering why we must deal with hardship; while everyone else appears to be showered in butterflies and unicorns.
And so, we tend to resent the pain that shows up in our life. Anger and frustration fill us and we argue that life shouldn’t be this way. We believe that there must be something that we are doing wrong; if life feels like this. Or, we choose to numb up the pain and hope that it will eventually leave. We believe that if we ignore it long enough, it will all begin to disappear.
But, what if we are missing the most extraordinary gift of our lives by not facing this pain? That by numbing and resenting the pain and the struggles, we are actually holding ourselves back from our greatness?
I believe that the greatness that is held dormant inside of each one of us, can only shine forth once we break open. And to break open, we must allow something to break us.
The pain of life will break you. It will break you; if you allow it to.
Rumi says: “The cure for the pain, is in the pain.”
So what if the secret that we are all searching for, is actually in the one thing we all run from? What if the key that unlocks the greatness we seek to pull forth, is in the struggles that we want to ignore and numb away?
Imagine loosing the only key to your house. You would most likely have feelings of being frustrated, overwhelmed and stuck. Which is how I would describe most people feel a lot in their lives. Always seeking to find that one thing that will fill up the gaping hole within them. Stuck in a place where the path in front of them seems to be blurry and undefined. Just like being right outside the door to your home and not being able to open door, because the key is lost.
The key for our greatness is the pain.
Allowing the pain to break us is a lot like the process of a bird hatching from an egg.
Lately, my children have become fascinated with videos on YouTube of baby birds hatching. These short little videos have been on replay in my home daily. And each time I stop to watch a tiny little bird crack its way out of the hard egg shell that binds it; I am in awe. It is a sacred moment. A moment that is held in reverence. As this tiny, weak bird slowly pecks away at the hard shell of a prison that holds it captive. Some birds become tired and can’t seem to peck hard enough to get out. Those birds do not make it. They do not get to live the life they had been created to live. These birds miss out on the absolute joy that will come from days of flying and soaring through the sky. Instead, they will die, within the cage that had promised to be the gate out to their greatness.
While other birds, push through the struggle to free themselves. It is not an easy process yet, slowly they chip away at the hard shell around them. Soon they have cracked it enough to finally stretch their legs and break into the light. This is the first step on their journey to the path that was designed for them.
We are so much like these tiny birds.
If we will fight through the pain, and the struggles instead of ignoring them or numbing them away; we will break free into the light. As we move through the pain, we break open and our true path begins to show up. The path that we were created and designed to walk becomes more clear and defined. And as we begin to walk on this path our lives start to become fulfilled. The hole that had once been inside of us is filled with joy and light. The experience of soaring and living, sink into those parts that have been dormant and asleep.
So, where do you turn in these moments of hardship and unexpected pain? How do you lift your hearts and your minds?
For some it is easy to turn the corner and move forward.
For others the darkness of despair drags them down further; making it unable for them to ever catch their breath.
For me, I have walked through many dark days. Despair clinging to me, slowing down all my progression.The hardest part, is that when progression is placed on pause, despair grows stronger and with more fierceness than ever.
Until I remember.
That light overcomes the depths of all dark. That hope will always be the ladder out of the dark hole. And that life can change within the smallest shift of my own mind.
This is when strength fills me again and I am able to push forward with more willpower and more determination than before.
You see… the hidden key is this pain and these struggles. They are actually the trail markers on the path towards our greatness.
They help us see that we are moving forward, and growing towards our greater self.
When we can push through it, allowing the pain and despair to rush over us like a pounding wave, we will come out cleansed.
And we will rise; just as the Phoenix arises from the ashes of her flames.
Stronger and more beautiful than before.
If you are in here; in this moment of overwhelming struggles and darkness. Here in your own tidal wave of unexpected events, upsets and pain; know that I see you. That I hear you. And that you are not alone.
Because I myself have been there.
And I want you to know there is always hope.
Hope brings light. And light fills in all the dark. Leaving no trace of the darkness behind.
Only light.
Keep walking; hold tightly to that hope. This pain that feels too much to bare will actually be the key to unlocking your absolute greatness.
You were created to be fierce and bright. You deserve to be filled to the brim with light. You have gifts and greatness to share…
This world needs your light…
Do you want more?
If you want to hear more from me on the daily, check out my IG account Keira Poulsen.
Call to action:
I believe that stepping into our greatness takes immense courage and fearlessness. To attain that courage, we must be willing to look at our pain and decide to heal. In my new book, “The Hidden Gifts Within the Trauma of Sexual Abuse,” I teach the principles I learned in healing from pain and deciding to wake up to my greatness. I’d love to give you the first chapter of my book for free. Click here for you FREE chapter.
