June 2021 Newsletter

Hello, and a jubilant June to you!
Welcome, or welcome back, to my newsletter. Today's issue is about taking on someone else's view of you. Does it restrict you, or empower you? Enjoy!

A good manager or coach or parent or leader of any type encourages others, holding a view of them as more successful than they may be able to see themselves. Yes, unhelpful behavior which could be an obstacle to growth is pointed out, with the student or child led to understanding, not shamed or ridiculed.

Yet what if the person leading you sees your role as very different than you do? What if the athletic family which has already produced sports heroes has a sensitive artistic child? What if someone who grows up in a rural farming community yearns to be a college professor? It may sometimes be difficult to push against these sorts of (often unstated) expectations to be your truest self.

The baby looking in the mirror with curiosity and wonderment is seeing herself as she is right now, not seeing her parents' hopes for her, or Society's expectations. Will she be destined for "women's work", or free to follow whatever dreams pull her forward into her future? Let's hope she is surrounded by teachers and caregivers who listen to her and gently guide, without pushing too much.

Think back over the decision points in your own life, choosing (or refusing) that educational path, or that career or relationship or place to live. Was this truly your own choice, or were you overly influenced by someone else, maybe not listening to yourself? Was the decision easy and natural, or did you have to push against resistance to follow the route you wanted?

So we can be compelled to take an action someone else wants for us more than we want it. Maybe that works out and maybe it doesn't, but either way we'll learn something. We can also be influenced to "let our reach exceed our grasp" when a person we look up to sees a seed of greatness in us. What if you knew without a doubt you could reach that goal? Well, harness your Inner Cheerleader or Guardian Angel, and go for it!

I see the images here tracing the path many of us follow. We start with "I'll be like my parent" (wearing glasses because Mom does in this case), then move to exploring who we really are and what we want as an individual, apart from our parents. Finally and ideally, we see that we're capable of making a big difference, more powerful than we had realized. Stories of former elementary school teachers who reconnect with now-grown students who are wildly famous or successful, saying "I always knew she/he was destined for greatness!" touch me deeply. It feels like why we're here: someone believed in you, you proved them right, and now you'll go on to lift someone else up, passing it on. This is how the human race evolves, one person at a time doing his or her part. Thank you for doing yours, in your own unique way.

For an article exploring the connection between my myopia and my mother's, click here.

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Please send me your questions and comments
Let me know what you've wondered about concerning energy medicine or vision or dreams. I'll be glad to write a short article addressing that topic. Thank you to those who have sent me questions, or see a question you asked me in a private session written about here. You're helping many other people! Enjoy the start of this joyous month of June. I'll write again in a few weeks. Take care!