Hola Goddess,

I wanted to share an article today relating to Letting Go.  Not just any letting go, but in particular Family Hurts.
They say that you can’t choose your family … but I believe we actually do and we do that to experience, to grow, to love, and all those wonderful emotions, thoughts and things.
When it comes to our family and friends, its often our family that we can’t just leave behind … or can we ???

I love and adore all my family. Yes there have been challenges, yes there are now challenges, yes there will be more challenges, but you know what, the less we GIVE in to the hurt and judgement from others, the less effect it has on oneself.  Do you agree?.  And so this is an article I have brought to you because it seemed appropriate right now.

One of my Aunties is going under the knife tomorrow for a major heart operation.  Its times like these that we let go all perceived wrongs and rights of the past and just remember the good times.  If there were no good times, in your particular life then send out gratitude that you are here now – able to still create anything you wish.  I am sending out much love to all my immediate family and all my cousins and also the family members I never got to meet in person but are now showing up in life – lol another blog.  For now its time to release and get on with the wonderful Life Purpose you came here to enjoy.

Blissings

Article – Letting Go of Old Family Hurts

Families are complex and all of us are bound to experience some negative emotions from things that happened as we were growing up.

No family is perfect, and although your parents might have made every effort to ensure you a safe and happy childhood, unanticipated events occur that might have been out of your parents’ control at the time.

As a result, you might have developed feelings of sadness, disappointment, fears, and even hurt about your early years.

You’ve most likely heard the expression about carrying around “old baggage” with you. Baggage is an expression used when referring to unpleasant emotions and feelings we “carry” throughout our lives, unless, of course, we do something to let go of that baggage. Letting go of old family hurts is critical to living the life you deserve.

Following these steps can help free you from the limitations of your baggage:

1. Write a list of what you feel hurt or disappointed about. Your list might be quite lengthy or it might be brief with just one or two items. Whichever the case, recording what you feel hurt about will help clarify what it is that’s bugging you.

2. Go more in depth about each issue you listed. Specific to each item on your list, record how you felt at the time and how you feel now about the situation. The writing process will help you explore your feelings and identify how you truly feel about the past event.

* Upon completing this exercise, you may discover that you aren’t as upset now about an incident as you once were and realize that you can give yourself permission to let it go.

3. Recognize how this baggage is affecting you now. The way you handle many aspects of your life today could be related to things that happened in your past.

* Do you avoid getting too emotionally close to others for fear of being hurt?

* Do you jump in to relationships too quickly – only to find the other person not to be someone you would normally like to spend time with?

* Maybe you allow your anger to wear away at your close, loving relationships.

* Whatever it is, try to connect past incidents with what you’re doing now to express the negative emotions from those events.

4. Know that you’re worth living a life without the old hurt. You deserve to have a life unfettered by wounds from your past.

5. Make a decision to let go. Tell yourself you’ll no longer be affected by something that happened so long ago. You might want to try these ways to help you let go:

* You could write your old hurts on small snippets of paper and put them in balloons. Then, blow up the balloons, take them outdoors, and let them go. As they float away, imagine your pain floating away, too.

* Another way to let go is to write them down on paper and burn the paper. As you watch your writings safely burn in your fireplace or a barbecue grill outdoors, visualize those hurts being burned up and disappearing from your life forever.

6. From your adult viewpoint, you may now understand what happened. Once you clarify the event, consciously tell yourself that you now understand what occurred and why or how it happened. You’ve gained some insight into the issue. Now you can leave it in the past.

7. Commend yourself for your efforts to let go of your emotional baggage. After all, it weighed you down for quite some time. Now you’re free of it. Praise yourself for an important job well done.

You can let go of old family hurts by following these steps. You’ll feel so much better when you release the painful feelings you’ve had for some time. Create the life you so deserve by banishing the past to where it belongs – in the past.

Even though you feel safe and secure in your comfort zone Goddess, are you really happy inside of it? After all, there’s more to life than safety! What about passion? What about excitement? What about purpose? Wouldn’t you like more joy in your life?

To experience new heights of joy, the only requirement is a willingness to challenge yourself to break out of your self-imposed limitations.

Getting outside of your comfort zone doesn’t always mean taking giant steps or doing something crazy. Expanding your comfort zone can mean small changes. For example, read a book you usually wouldn’t pick up, learn about something that challenges your viewpoint, or take a language course. Do things that are different than your ordinary daily routine. (like driving a different way to work each day, I did it and told my husband I did it, then he did it )

Here a some Small Ways to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

To begin experiencing the joy you deserve, stretch yourself! Here are some ideas you can use to help yourself expand your comfort zone:

• Take a walk around part of your neighborhood that you don’t normally visit. • Go to a different store to shop for your groceries, clothes, or other items. • Talk with a neighbor or introduce yourself to people who are new to the neighborhood. • Sign up for a college class or an online course in something. • Take an art, acting, or dance class. You’ll meet new people and learn a new skill.

You can increase your comfort zone in many ways. If you want to create more joy, think about things you like to do or want to learn about. Expanding your comfort zone is about doing things you like. It’s about showing yourself that you can do more than you thought you could. Cmon you can do this Goddess.

Moving on to Bigger Things

Once you’ve taken small steps outside your comfort zone, seek to stretch your boundaries further with greater challenges. If you’re shy, get to know your neighbors. To go further, throw a party or have a backyard barbecue. You’ll enjoy some time with others in your neighborhood while expanding your limits.

Take a drama class, then participate in a play or join an amateur competition to stretch yourself further or join Toastmaters yay. These challenges may seem daunting to you, but others in the class will be nervous also. And it’s okay to be a little nervous sometimes. It shows that you’re growing and developing as a person. It shows that you want to live life to the fullest.

Avoid Trying Too Much Too Fast

If you try to do too many things at once, you may become so nervous that you miss the joy that comes from stretching your inner boundaries. Instead, you may experience frustration and lack motivation to venture outside of your comfort zone again. Take small steps at first, and the success you experience will fuel your drive toward bigger challenges.

To be truly happy, you must be proactive in seeking the life you desire. If you challenge yourself with activities you enjoy, leaving your comfort zone can lead you to the life of passion and fulfillment that you deserve!

Stretch that rubber band we call comfort zone …sttrreetchhhhhh

Blissings