Celebrate All Parts of You

My wife, Melissa, has always loathed the question, “What do you do?” She thinks it’s a lazy and uninteresting conversation starter. As someone who has no desire to define herself by her job, she’d much rather talk about her hobbies or what gets her fired up in life. I used to think she hated the question because she wasn’t satisfied professionally. I realize now that she’s just been way ahead of the curve.

None of us should be defined solely by the roles we inhabit during our lifetime. Being a parent, spouse, daughter, brother, employee, entrepreneur, or widow is not the core of who you are at a soul level. You are a multifaceted, magical spirit who deserves to have the whole of you sparkle and shine. 

Are there parts of yourself that you’re not owning because you don’t believe they fit some preconceived mold? Maybe you’ve been journaling for years, but never considered yourself a writer. Maybe you get emotional when witnessing others’ struggle, but pride yourself on not being sensitive. Maybe you’re hungry for some help and support, but you vow to never be seen as needy.

When you deny, suppress, or limit aspects of who you truly are, you invite your soul to call out for attention, and oftentimes, those calls are not pleasant. They can come in the form of anxiety, depression, physical illness, exhaustion, frustration, anger, etc. But the sooner you hear your soul’s call — ideally at the whisper stage — the quicker you enter a place of self love, compassion, and, consequently, acceptance and joy. And it’s in this place where you find that life fulfillment for which you long.

When I think back to the years that Melissa struggled to fit into the traditional mold of landing a job with a “worthy” title instead of embracing her advanced soul’s wisdom, it breaks my heart, but it also makes me admire her willingness to stick to her truth even when the world said it wasn’t ok.

And in honor of her courage, from now on, when I’m asked, “So, what do you do?” I’m going to respond from a more encompassing place. “Well, I hike, I travel, I like to spend time at the beach, I’m passionate about animals and nature, and I’m super excited for my nephew’s upcoming wedding! Oh, and I help people design their ideal lives.”

Now let’s celebrate the wholeness of YOU! What parts of yourself are you willing to explore more and perhaps even embrace? Are you ready to commit to that by sharing in the comments below? I’d love to hear from you!