1. I liked seeing your happier rejected parts panel!
3. (I’m doing 3 first because I had more to say for 2 haha.) Yes I have to an extent! It’s mainly around my family. I feel like I never resonated with “disappointing” my parents because I felt what I liked was SO me and their issues with it seemed like a “you” problem. But that also proceeded into WWIII, especially with my mom because she REALLY wanted me to be a certain way.
Even though I still feel I had a similar mindset most of my life, I felt more like I was “on” around family, and I never was away from family, so it got exhausting and constrictive to not just live “out loud.”
But being myself online has helped and finding spaces I could safely be open helped too! (As well as restricting and blocking family online so I could freely express myself LOL.)
2. Others: It hasn’t been until the past handful of years that I truly felt I HAD any power where people could trust me and my words. They may have, but it’s been my own inner struggle of living my life believing family never TRULY heard me or listened to me. So when I’d get excited to share something with others, I just believed no one would care, or click on a link to see what I was talking about, etc. but they do! That feels good!
BUT when I got more into the coaching realm, I learned from a lot of amazing coaches what it means to make it clear that you’re just their in the guide. That they have the power and tools within them to create the healing and magic in their lives. You’re just shining light on it for them, or helping them see it in a perspective that may never have clicked for them before.
I’ve read, and listened to, quite a bit of content about making sure there’s boundaries set around coach and client so the relationship doesn’t become dependent on you being their savior, and I like that.
I also enjoy finding expanders who seems to have that practice down, like off the top of my head I think of Africa Brooke on IG. She teaches and mentors and shares her experience, AND she always declares her boundaries and reminds people that they are free-thinkers and don’t have to agree with her or take in what she’s saying as *their* truth (she says it much more eloquently). Or my coaches Cora-Lynn Hazelwood and her biz partner Chantal practice it all the time with us, training us in their container to become more self-reliant.
We of course ask questions where we need to and they show up to answer questions where agreed upon, but they make sure we remember that we can ask EVERYONE in the group questions too. That they’ve curated a community of smart people so be sure to communicate with one another too. And they almost always remember to turn the thanks and praise given to them for changing lives and mindset and such back to the person who did the work to get there. Love it.
Okay so this is super long as usual so I’ll make the “myself” response shorter haha!
Myself: Disempowering myself was pretty bad come the end of high school and in college. I felt like the baby elephant metaphor?
The one where a baby elephant is tied to a stake in the ground and can’t leave the spot, and he grows into an adult elephant and still believes it’s trapped by that now tiiiiiiny stake in the ground. That was me, I repeated the mantra that I was trapped and had no power over my life for YEARS and absolutely believed it and wallowed in it and it was my reality, until it wasn’t! :) like, mentally. My surroundings didn’t change so much to mirror my internal changes but the internal created some amazing external changes I KNKW wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t change myself.
I shouldn't be surprised, but I've just discovered something else we have in common. I am particularly inspired when I can support others from disempowerment to empowerment. I'm particularly conscious of not abusing the power I have (I know I have a lot) at the expense of others.
I'm sorry, Medha, but you are a teacher. I learn - or relearn - something new every time I read your work. It's not your fault. You can't help it. You're just really good at it :-)
Presenting the genuine you is always good. You just have to let people take that for what they will. How's that for preachy?
I love this, especially the drawings! In fact, I think your newsletter is so awesome that I will quote it in mine this Friday. I will also recommend your newsletter. Keep up the great work!
Regarding the questions you asked, I rarely hold back my honest thoughts or feelings to please others. In fact, sometimes I have the opposite problem! I can be too blunt when I am asked for feedback or have a strong opinion about something someone says or does.
I’m just passionate about the importance of honesty. Even when someone else is giving me feedback on my work or how something I said affected them, I want to know what they really think, not a toned down sanitized version meant to spare my feelings!
I definitely want to empower both myself and others, though, so I hate it when my harsh criticism hurts or silences someone. I’m usually the one hurt or silenced by my inner critic, but sometimes others are, too.
I love all of the drawings so it’s hard to pick just one favorite, but I think mine is the one of the woman asking herself that if she wants to grow shouldn’t she be happy when one of her parts brings an issue that needs further work to her attention instead of upset. I may have to print that one and tape it on the wall beside my bed as a reminder!
Hello Medha. I love your unique and potent mix of drawings and authentic writing. I have been a fan since first finding your guided meditations on Insight Timer. But now I feel as if I have really got to know you, the real you.
I had a month ago a very powerful Akashic record session where I was told that my soul had chosen to lessons about personal power, about taking power away from people and what it would be like to allow and guide! There is indeed a vast difference between knowing what is right for people and imposing that upon them versus knowing what is right for people because you have an objective standpoint and you can give them the choice to choose.
Apparently the biggest theme in my soul's journey is about what I am choosing to feel in any given moment and allowing people the flexibility to be themselves, thereby allowing myself the flexibility to be myself. To not exert control over others and to not accept control from others! These are the themes that as a soul I have chosen to weave through lifetimes.
And finally ... and I feel this relates so eerily to your post ... I have chosen as a life purpose in this lifetime to master the ability to have self confidence and compassion to live that self empowerment without the control. These themes have been showing so strongly in the last few months.
So after not daring to speak my own truth, I have dared to start publishing blog posts on my website that really show me as my authentic self. Pretty exhilarating when I first came out of my spiritual closet but got knocked out by the lesson of not limiting my power or belittling it when I don't get responses to what I choose to share with the world. Trying to just spread my love and knowledge and positively impact others with no expectations!
Love this article, Medha. Once again, genuine. I find myself holding back in my own writing. I catch myself being too focused on readers' interpretations. I haven't shared the pieces I've written that are my favorite. They're quirky and bold, characteristics I tend not to express to most people. As a reader, though, I'm drawn to posts that express a writer's true nature... sincere, quirky, bold, too detailed, and funny.
I totally feel you on this although I don't have the same cult experience. I have been thinking about it in the I don't want your power but I'm happy to hold it while you heal the parts of you that think you don't deserve it......
The more work I do on allowing all parts of myself to be seen and loved the more willing and able I am to take my own place at the table.
Lastly I often do this in my writing where all the thoughts don't quite make it so it seems like there is a bit of a disconnect but it feels connected to me.
I am good at empowering others and I am also good at disempowering myself, as well. So that's a question to ponder - how to use the empowering tools that I use with others with myself?
1. I liked seeing your happier rejected parts panel!
3. (I’m doing 3 first because I had more to say for 2 haha.) Yes I have to an extent! It’s mainly around my family. I feel like I never resonated with “disappointing” my parents because I felt what I liked was SO me and their issues with it seemed like a “you” problem. But that also proceeded into WWIII, especially with my mom because she REALLY wanted me to be a certain way.
Even though I still feel I had a similar mindset most of my life, I felt more like I was “on” around family, and I never was away from family, so it got exhausting and constrictive to not just live “out loud.”
But being myself online has helped and finding spaces I could safely be open helped too! (As well as restricting and blocking family online so I could freely express myself LOL.)
2. Others: It hasn’t been until the past handful of years that I truly felt I HAD any power where people could trust me and my words. They may have, but it’s been my own inner struggle of living my life believing family never TRULY heard me or listened to me. So when I’d get excited to share something with others, I just believed no one would care, or click on a link to see what I was talking about, etc. but they do! That feels good!
BUT when I got more into the coaching realm, I learned from a lot of amazing coaches what it means to make it clear that you’re just their in the guide. That they have the power and tools within them to create the healing and magic in their lives. You’re just shining light on it for them, or helping them see it in a perspective that may never have clicked for them before.
I’ve read, and listened to, quite a bit of content about making sure there’s boundaries set around coach and client so the relationship doesn’t become dependent on you being their savior, and I like that.
I also enjoy finding expanders who seems to have that practice down, like off the top of my head I think of Africa Brooke on IG. She teaches and mentors and shares her experience, AND she always declares her boundaries and reminds people that they are free-thinkers and don’t have to agree with her or take in what she’s saying as *their* truth (she says it much more eloquently). Or my coaches Cora-Lynn Hazelwood and her biz partner Chantal practice it all the time with us, training us in their container to become more self-reliant.
We of course ask questions where we need to and they show up to answer questions where agreed upon, but they make sure we remember that we can ask EVERYONE in the group questions too. That they’ve curated a community of smart people so be sure to communicate with one another too. And they almost always remember to turn the thanks and praise given to them for changing lives and mindset and such back to the person who did the work to get there. Love it.
Okay so this is super long as usual so I’ll make the “myself” response shorter haha!
Myself: Disempowering myself was pretty bad come the end of high school and in college. I felt like the baby elephant metaphor?
The one where a baby elephant is tied to a stake in the ground and can’t leave the spot, and he grows into an adult elephant and still believes it’s trapped by that now tiiiiiiny stake in the ground. That was me, I repeated the mantra that I was trapped and had no power over my life for YEARS and absolutely believed it and wallowed in it and it was my reality, until it wasn’t! :) like, mentally. My surroundings didn’t change so much to mirror my internal changes but the internal created some amazing external changes I KNKW wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t change myself.
I shouldn't be surprised, but I've just discovered something else we have in common. I am particularly inspired when I can support others from disempowerment to empowerment. I'm particularly conscious of not abusing the power I have (I know I have a lot) at the expense of others.
I'm sorry, Medha, but you are a teacher. I learn - or relearn - something new every time I read your work. It's not your fault. You can't help it. You're just really good at it :-)
Presenting the genuine you is always good. You just have to let people take that for what they will. How's that for preachy?
Yes! Yes! Yes! to all of the above text. There is not a single sentence i'd disagree with.
Loved your drawing of the eye, that was my fave this week.
Here's the link to my newsletter article that quotes excerpts from this one: https://wendigordon.substack.com/p/do-you-want-to-learn-and-grow?sd=pf
Thanks for the inspiration!
I love this, especially the drawings! In fact, I think your newsletter is so awesome that I will quote it in mine this Friday. I will also recommend your newsletter. Keep up the great work!
Regarding the questions you asked, I rarely hold back my honest thoughts or feelings to please others. In fact, sometimes I have the opposite problem! I can be too blunt when I am asked for feedback or have a strong opinion about something someone says or does.
I’m just passionate about the importance of honesty. Even when someone else is giving me feedback on my work or how something I said affected them, I want to know what they really think, not a toned down sanitized version meant to spare my feelings!
I definitely want to empower both myself and others, though, so I hate it when my harsh criticism hurts or silences someone. I’m usually the one hurt or silenced by my inner critic, but sometimes others are, too.
I love all of the drawings so it’s hard to pick just one favorite, but I think mine is the one of the woman asking herself that if she wants to grow shouldn’t she be happy when one of her parts brings an issue that needs further work to her attention instead of upset. I may have to print that one and tape it on the wall beside my bed as a reminder!
Hello Medha. I love your unique and potent mix of drawings and authentic writing. I have been a fan since first finding your guided meditations on Insight Timer. But now I feel as if I have really got to know you, the real you.
I had a month ago a very powerful Akashic record session where I was told that my soul had chosen to lessons about personal power, about taking power away from people and what it would be like to allow and guide! There is indeed a vast difference between knowing what is right for people and imposing that upon them versus knowing what is right for people because you have an objective standpoint and you can give them the choice to choose.
Apparently the biggest theme in my soul's journey is about what I am choosing to feel in any given moment and allowing people the flexibility to be themselves, thereby allowing myself the flexibility to be myself. To not exert control over others and to not accept control from others! These are the themes that as a soul I have chosen to weave through lifetimes.
And finally ... and I feel this relates so eerily to your post ... I have chosen as a life purpose in this lifetime to master the ability to have self confidence and compassion to live that self empowerment without the control. These themes have been showing so strongly in the last few months.
So after not daring to speak my own truth, I have dared to start publishing blog posts on my website that really show me as my authentic self. Pretty exhilarating when I first came out of my spiritual closet but got knocked out by the lesson of not limiting my power or belittling it when I don't get responses to what I choose to share with the world. Trying to just spread my love and knowledge and positively impact others with no expectations!
Love this article, Medha. Once again, genuine. I find myself holding back in my own writing. I catch myself being too focused on readers' interpretations. I haven't shared the pieces I've written that are my favorite. They're quirky and bold, characteristics I tend not to express to most people. As a reader, though, I'm drawn to posts that express a writer's true nature... sincere, quirky, bold, too detailed, and funny.
Not wanting to preach, "I Love Your Work!
I totally feel you on this although I don't have the same cult experience. I have been thinking about it in the I don't want your power but I'm happy to hold it while you heal the parts of you that think you don't deserve it......
The more work I do on allowing all parts of myself to be seen and loved the more willing and able I am to take my own place at the table.
Lastly I often do this in my writing where all the thoughts don't quite make it so it seems like there is a bit of a disconnect but it feels connected to me.
I am good at empowering others and I am also good at disempowering myself, as well. So that's a question to ponder - how to use the empowering tools that I use with others with myself?
Great post, Medha!
1. The iceberg! And I loved the tape-over-the-mouth, too.
2. What can I say? I'm a mess!
3. Ermmmmmmm, yes, probably. Gosh.
*goes away for a long think*