The journey of personal development calls us to live in the moment. Yet, we carry our past with us, both in our minds and embedded in the cells of our bodies. How can we balance the past and the present? 

Divine paradox.

Your past existed for a reason: to help you learn and grow into the highest version of yourself,  whether you were a willing or resistant student. Your present and future exist for the same purpose.

Our attention can be pulled out of the present when something reminds us of the past. This triggers our vulnerability.

Vulnerability has a bad name. We think if we are vulnerable that we are weak or in some sort of danger. In truth, vulnerability is a position of strength.

If we can stay with it instead of numbing our emotions, leveraging control, or letting it tip us into shame we can allow it to grow us into magnificence.

To be vulnerable one must have the courage to be imperfect. Courage comes from the whole heart, from learning to love both the parts of ourselves that are beautiful and those that are not.

But courage is not the only thing that is required to be vulnerable. We also need compassion; this kindness comes from understanding that everyone on the planet, ourselves included, has experienced suffering.

And finally, to source the beauty in vulnerability we must connect. We connect within as we explore and embody our own authenticity. We connect with others as we live into who we truly are.

If you are struggling with feeling vulnerable, allow your heart to soften ~ first for yourself, and then for the world. In that act, you will find true strength. You’ll find yourself as a perfectly imperfect, authentic human.

Therefore, the greatest gift you can give yourself is to release your past. Honor what you’ve learned, but allow each day to be a fresh canvas upon which you paint your life story. Give yourself permission to have a different experience than what you’ve had before.

Honoring your history while being totally and authentically present is the key ~ not only to a life of integrity and balance but also to allowing the future to unfold in a new way. I invite you to stand in appreciation for what has been ~ while you create what will be out of what Is.

To your success, 

Kimberly