Let's get down to the nitty-gritty! Integral questions and hard truths that lead to true growth

Welcome sultry saints,

If you clicked on this post, you're doing yourself a favor lovely ;) the first step towards true growth is the desire to grow and if you clicked on this post that's half the battle so congrats! Let's just take a moment and celebrate the fact that you have already taken the first step simply by being curious enough to seek out authentic growth!

Now that you've already taken the first step and celebrated that victory (yay!) let's move forward into some bullet point steps to delve deeper, ask integral questions, and gain some perspective. Let's take time to ask ourselves important questions, acknowledge hard truths, and take steps toward loving our current selves while manifesting our higher future selves. These questions will only be beneficial to us if we remain; open minded, introspective, and brutally honest with our answers -- remembering to give ourselves grace.

All of the questions I will ask here are all questions that I asked myself and really took the time to discover their answers. Growth isn't linear and it's not a destination. It takes time to deconstruct old habits and manifest new ones. It takes hard work and consistency but its so wroth it! These are questions I continuously ask myself and must be honest about in order to continue on in my path and I hope they spark something in you as well.

So before we get started let me explain the layout a bit: first I'll make a large header kind of blanket/general question and then include bullet point sub-questions that stem from the initial question! I encourage you to ask yourself all these questions (how many times have I said the word "question" already? lol) and when you find the answers ask yourself why that's the case and whether or not it servers you well. Then I'll include a short encouraging paragraph from personal experience. Some of these questions are tough and painful to think about but they're so important so please know you're not alone! I'm not here to attack, I'm simply here to share my story and maybe help you through yours if you'll have me. <3 When you finish reading this, I invite you to read it again and maybe even jot down a couple notes on the things that speak to you. <3

Here we go!

DO YOU ALLOW OTHERS; NEGATIVE NARRATIVES, OPINIONS, BELIEFS, AND CRITICISMS TO DICTATE YOU AND YOUR LIFE?

* If someone had built up a narrative in their minds about who you are or how you should be, do you let that influence the way you see yourself or behave? WHY?

* Do you allow someone's opinions of you to change the way you see yourself? WHY?

*Do you allow the beliefs of others to dictate what you believe for yourself? WHY?

*Does criticism of any kind crush your spirit? WHY?

Often times the voices around us can be so overwhelming and loud that we can't hear our own voice let alone God's voice speaking to us. We get so caught up in those voices that we actually give them power over our lives, whether we realize it or not, while our own voices shrink and become powerless and inaudible. You have a choice to make. Live by the standards of others and never truly discover the joys of knowing yourself and the life you could lead from that OR ask the hard questions, do the work, and pave your own way to a version of you and your life that brings you joy and fulfillment. Once we get past this brick wall of caring so much about what others think of us, only then can we truly transcend into higher beings with higher callings. People will always always ALWAYS have unsolicited opinions about you so why not be the you that YOU love, and live the life that YOU desire?

WHAT IS IT THATS HOLDING YOU BACK FROM YOUR TRUE DESIRES?

*First of all, what is it that you truly desire? WHY?

*What categories do your desires fall under -- professional life, personal life, spiritual life, wellness, relationships, sexuality/pleasure and so on? WHY?

* Do you believe those desires are achievable? WHY? WHY NOT?

*Do you believe you're worthy of achieving those desires? WHY? WHY NOT?

*Are you afraid of reaching those desires? WHY?

*Are you the only thing in your way of achieving your true potential? WHY?

Deep down we all know what we want and why. The problem we run into is believing such limiting lies that we've either learned generationally, told ourselves for so long we now view the lie as fact, or we've simply never known anything else was possible because that lie is all we've ever known. So the answer to that last question is YES! YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE IN YOUR WAY! (remember we're being brutally honest with ourselves here) We tell ourselves limiting lies, we make up excuses for several different reasons, we refuse to see the truth for what it really is and all that keeps us from achieving our true potential. The good news is, that because we are the only ones in our own way we can chose to move ourselves! We don't always have control over all things in lives -- but we do have control over our own selves! (more on that in the next set of questions) I will tell you this right now --YOU CAN CHOOSE TO MOVE OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY! IT'S OK TO WANT WHAT YOU WANT! IT'S OK TO ACTIVELY WORK TOWARDS WHAT YOU WANT NO MATTER WHAT OTHERS THINK OR SAY. YOU ARE WORTHY OF EVERYTHING GOOD. YOU DESERVE EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER DESIRE. Repeat these truths to yourself so they may drown out the lies until there is no longer space for them.

DO YOU PRACTICE PERSPECTIVE?

*When you're faced with any kind of situation do you tend to look at it from different angles or do you simply see it one way? WHY?

*Are you open to receiving new perspectives? WHY? WHY NOT?

*More often than not do you see things in a positive or negative light? WHY?

*Do you think an adjustment in the way you perceive yourself and your reality would be beneficial to you? WHY? WHY NOT?

*Have you sought out help in adjusting your perspective through friendly advice, therapy, other recourses like books or websites? WHY? WHY NOT?

*Do you react to the situation or do you take the time to look inward and respond to the situation? WHY?

A lot of times I can be very single sighted in different situations and I know I am not alone in that. I also know I'm not alone in recognizing that tunnel vision is so limiting and out of alignment with my best life! It's so easy to see our circumstances in a negative light -- especially when it's a circumstance that we didn't plan on or want. At the end of the day life is messy and it doesn't always go how we plan. We often don't even have control over a lot of the physical circumstances in our lives either and that can be a tough pill to swallow sometimes. However, the one thing we will ALWAYS have power over is our perspective. Our perspective can either give power to a negative situation if that's the only way we choose see it OR, it can give power to your highest self and bring light to a dark place if we choose to see the light and use it to change our heart posture towards the situation. I don't know where you're at right now or what you're going through but please remember there is so much goodness yet to be had, you are not alone, it's ok to ask for help, and you are far

more powerful in this situation than you may think at this moment. <3 read that again.

DO YOU AVOID EMOTION?

*Do you have a tendency to avoid emotions on all scales ranging from sadness, anger, frustration to immense joy, elation, and pleasure? WHY?

*Do you have a tendency to sit in your "negative" emotions longer than necessary? WHY? WHY NOT?

*Do you have a tendency to push down all the "negative" emotions and try to be constantly happy? WHY? WHY NOT?

*Do you put on a facade in front of your loved ones or the general public that betrays your true emotional state? WHY? WHY NOT?

*Are you afraid of your emotions? WHY? WHY NOT?

*Do you trust yourself with your feelings? WHY? WHY NOT?

*Do you question why you feel the way you do and get to the root of it? WHY? WHY NOT?

*Do you believe that your emotions are valid? WHY? WHY NOT?

*Do you trust and or follow your intuitions? WHY? WHY NOT?

*Do you prefer to remain complacent? WHY? WHY NOT?

*How does complacency serve you?

Emotions can be complicated, messy, scary, and overwhelming but guess what? THEY'RE THERE FOR A REASON AND YOU CAN TRUST THEM! Emotion plays such a huge role in human existence and human connection. If you have a feeling about anything it's your job to find the reasons behind the feeling and decide if it's something that will hold you back or push you forward. No one else knows the way you feel better than you do -- so take the time to discover your emotions for yourself. Take the time to ask yourself why you feel the way you do and where that feeling stems from. We can't necessarily control our feelings 100% of the time, but we can decide how we approach those feelings and how we respond to them. Your feelings are valid. Your feelings deserve your time and attention. It's perfectly ok to feel the way you do and remember -- you're not the only one feeling that way! Your intuition is there to guide you, to help you navigate this world and this life. You can lean into it, trust it, and put it into action however you see fit. It's ok to trust yourself. In fact, it's crucial that you trust yourself!

If you've made it this far CONGRATULATIONS! You are one of the few who have chosen to take the proverbial "path less taken". To exit your comfort zone and enter into a zone of uncomfortable yet valuable growth that will lead to such goodness! I know a lot of these questions were harsh, difficult, and even painful to truly introspect upon so I want to end this on a note of encouragement and one more, food for thought, question full of possibilities. Take the time to go back and read the short paragraphs after the questions a repeat those promises/truths that you are; worthy, valuable, loved, seen, heard, valid, trustworthy, powerful, and able to gain so much goodness. The question now is, "Are you willing?" willing to do the work it takes, willing to ask the hard questions, willing to be honest with yourself, willing to practice grace over your process. You are 100% capable if only you are willing. You are 100% CAPABLE if only you are WILLING. repeat that as many times as you need to, and happy introspection to you. :)

Please feel free to ask questions, I am open to a dialogue on all these topics. I'm here to share with transparency a listen without judgement. This is a safe space. <3 If you go to my "ABOUT ME" page there is a space to fill out your name, email, subject, and then you can fill in whatever it is you'd like to talk about <3

stay spicy, stay wild, and be kind.