Finding Your Own Sacred Space To Be You

I didn’t intend it to turn out this way.

But I guess it did.

It’s late 2008 and I’m highly annoyed. The world inside me and around me full of frustration and negativity. At that stage of my life I was quite good at complaining, easily adding my highly opinionated voice to the “somebody should do something” chorus knowing that I would not be the one to try and actually do something to change anything.

But for some reason something told me I should try and do something. My lack of qualifications as a writer was offset with a passionate conviction to try and give positivity a little more visibility in the world.

Especially mine.

15 years ago – April 20, 2009 – I anxiously hit the “Publish” button for the first time and this blog went live. I offered my faint voice of optimism into an increasingly negative and hostile universe.

Posting uplifting quotes gradually lead to me to actually attempting to post original content, again, driven by a desire to add my own voice and share some positivity, hope, and optimism into the lives of those who visited the site. And while the goal was to write for others, writing eventually became something I needed to do for me.

Turns out I needed the same positivity, hope, and optimism I wanted to offer others.

Writing these posts over the years has served as a form of self-therapy. Often posts are birthed out of my attempts to deal with my own frustrations, confusion, and pain life at times creates for us all. The process of writing my way through life’s challenges has actually changed the relationship I have with the most important person I will ever have in my life.

Me.

This space has become a safe space for me to take better care of me. It’s a space where I am unconditionally welcomed and accepting of me, no matter how I show up at my keyboard. This space has become an important component in my overall growth and maturity as I navigate the uncharted waters of the river of my life, writing my way down stream and hopefully avoiding the inevitable rocks ahead.

As I reflect back on the past 15 years, the most significant lesson I’ve learned has been the importance of creating this safe space for me to be me. Good, bad, ugly, and everything else in between. This has become a sacred space for me where I am always welcome, especially in those moments when life gets the better of me.

A safe space for me to be me.

A safe space for me to take better care of me.

Self-acceptance isn’t easy, especially in a world which authenticity is often abandoned in favor of conformance. But compassionate self-acceptance is worth any of the challenges which come with it. It’s the foundation for the inner peace we all strive to know within.

We all deserve our own safe space to simply meet ourself where we are, accepting and without condition, empathetic and compassionate.

May we all create our own safe space where each of us can deepen our relationship with ourself. Yes, it’s ours to create if we choose to.

For me, it is writing.

What will your space be for you?

Thank you for being a witness to my ever-unfolding journey. You’ve helped me grow into who I am today.

Forever grateful for your presence.

Photo by Rosie Steggles on Unsplash