Is Your Spirit Taking A Hit?

We all have a light that lives in us. That makes us come alive. Sometimes it shines brighter than others. Sometimes we see it. Sometimes we don't. 

And it feels really good to let that light shine. Which happens when the things that make us feel fully ourself, energetic, and free are all around us. When we're feeling that way, we can contribute meaningfully – to our day, to our humans, to our work, to this world. We need us and our spirit intact, fully intact.

But let's be real, our spirits are constantly under attack. For different reasons, but wholeness doesn't exactly take center-stage with outside influences. From the voices in our head, from the voices on the internet, from the cultural structures in place that would rather us stay a certain way so they don't have to change. 

But we've got to fight like hell to let nothing, and no one (including ourselves) get in the way. Move the bullshit aside. And move in the energy and inspiration that allows us all to shine. Our spirit, fully intact, is our key to our power. So, keep an eye out for these known spirit sinkholes:

1. Fitting in. Don't do it. Don't listen to the people who ask you to do so. Don't fit the molds. Don't shimmy yourself in anyone's container. Live freely and expressed, however and whatever that means for you. Your spirit knows no limits.
2. People who regularly take more than they give. It's just not generative. Create space for the people who'll give without question.
3. Mixed emotions. Seek clarity. Always. No matter what it requires you to admit, change, or walk away from. Seek the truth...your truth.
4. Avoiding the decision. Trust yourself. You are all you need. And you'll handle anything that's on the other side of your decision.
5. Scrolling. It's not helping. It's chipping away at who you are. Fill it with something, instead, that fills you.
6. Uncomfortable shoes. You are made to move. So find soles that let you dance without pain. And literally throw away the ones that don't.
7. Insecure collaborators. Their insecurity can easily become yours. Look at what's going on. You spend so much time with them. Create a plan to navigate it.
8. Fluorescent lights. They're spirit suckers. Get outside. Breath in real, fresh air. Get the vitamin D that will surely be a happy shot to the blood stream.
9. Fear. You can't control what's to come. So don't try to rehearse and strategize it. Stay here. Right here. It's all fine right where you are.
10. Negative humans. Notice them. Acknowledge them. We can't always control who is around us, but we can create guardrails that keep our heart whole and above the line. 
11. Trying to do it all. Housework. Childcare. Homework. Work Work. Party work. Creative work. Drop some balls. Let some of it go. Including your expectation that you're going to get it right all of the time.
12. The news. Limit what you consume. Create instead.
13. Comparing. They are not you. You are not them. Please put on your blinders.
14. Defensive people. Because where there's no real conversation or dialogue, there is no power. Don't play small in order to stay in the relationship.
15. Toxic Achievement. Hitting a goal won't make.you matter – to you or to anyone else. Find purpose within the love of your relationships instead.

Keep that spirit whole, no matter what. And keep an eye out for the tiny little cuts that break her down. When you come back to yourself, you come back to your strength.

Woman on xx