Aligned Leaders–Sage Wisdom from Women Choosing Their Soul’s Mission Over Societal Expectations With No Regret
When asked to write a chapter for the multi-authored book, Aligned Leaders, I knew what I would write. I had experienced being on a long discovery of coming into alignment.
However, my attraction to participate in the book was the subtitle, “Sage Wisdom from Women Choosing Their Soul’s Mission Over Societal Expectation With No Regret.” I had already written a book, I Cu Copper, where I revealed how the medical community continually failed me by treating my symptoms rather than the root cause. In that book, I speak about having courage and determination to defy societal expectations that traditional doctors know best.
No regret telling my story
I created a better life when I let go of societal fears about telling my vulnerable copper toxicity survival story. Sharing my story is a means of hope for others and allows me to live my life more authentically. So I started advocating for mental health awareness which projected me to continue finding balance. As my body and brain chemistry normalized, I spent many months focused on emotional healing because I was still unhappy.
Learning about myself
I hadn’t thought about being an Aligned Leader. Instead, my goal was to heal by researching how to make positive change. A December 2020 article in Psychology Today, Why Thriving Is Easier Than Surviving, sums up some of what I discovered. It states that survival mode has its place in helping one cope, but living in survival mode for a long time makes depression worse. Wow! I didn’t realize I wasn’t happy because I was working too hard at coping.
In contrast, it says that thriving is about future planning, creating, being your best self, and living your values or a meaningful life. The article compares thriving and surviving as being highly organized is easier than being disorganized. As an innately organized person, I knew I had the skills to make my life less complicated, but I needed help.
The turning point
With my chemistry balanced, I began searching for teachers and coaches who would show me how to look deeper within for the happy person I knew was there. I found good coaches that helped me understand limiting beliefs, what caused my reactions, and how to look in the mirror and accept my shadow side. Admitting there are parts of myself I didn’t like was a huge challenge. I learned the things I didn’t like about others existed within me. These lessons assisted me in losing judgment of others and being more gentle with myself.
Tapping into intuition
Once I got through the self-discovery phase, applying what I had learned was the next challenge. I quickly realized that being open to intuition is a work-in-progress that will ebb and flow with life changes. When I am in sync, things work out as they should. When I resist or overthink, I struggle. Incorporating gratitude for everything in my path has made a difference. Meditation became my best friend, and understanding chakras and meridian points helped me know when I was not in alignment.
The more I engaged in self-awareness, the more I embraced self-love. As a result, I made significant and subtle changes along my alignment path. Of most significance were setting boundaries, self-care, and being thankful.
Living my Soul’s Mission
I never knew how much of myself I gave away to others. Putting myself first felt selfish because of indoctrination into believing that serving others first was honorable behavior. But there is a reason that airlines tell you to put your oxygen mask on first before assisting the person next to you because if you run out of oxygen, you can’t help anyone else. That’s what was happening to me. I was running on empty, depleting my energy not to disappoint others.
My soul’s purpose may be to serve but with the caveat of not sacrificing my joy. I realize now that I was enabling others not to grow and expand by doing for them and harming my self-growth.
I also neglected my self-care by not letting go of relationships dragging on my energy. One of my favorite quotes by an unknown author is, “You cannot heal in the same environment where you got sick.” Changing my environment is what elevated me to an Aligned Leader. I no longer allow others to have power over me. The lack of joy I felt living in a toxic environment disappeared when I made changes.
An Aligned Leader
Being aligned doesn’t mean that I’m doing what I love every moment, nor does it mean that I won’t have challenges. Instead, I am better equipped to deal with change because I’ve created a connection with my soul self. As a result, I make decisions based on what feels right in my heart, without regret.
Aligned Leaders is a #1 International Best Seller on Amazon.