Taken from November 2022 Newsletter
It’s November! Although in the UK many plants and flowers don’t seem to realise it and are in full bloom still (I even have strawberries in my garden turning red and it’s almost November!).
But confused plants aside, when considering the subject of this month’s newsletter one theme came through loud and clear for November – Enjoy Being You.
With the political and economic climate looking bleak, it’s easy to lose our inner joy through worry and stress. But when the outer world is looking bleak, it’s even more important to ignite the inner flames of joy, love , gratitude and contentment. And even if the national grid goes down this Winter, let no-one cut off your inner energy or put out your inner spark.
While the outer world is in turmoil, the one thing you can rely on is your inner world and you!
Self- love is an inside job. It’s free and its glow will keep you warm.
And that means loving yourself, loving your own company, loving how you look, how you dress, how you feel, how you move, how you think, how you speak, how you act – loving everything about you! YES! You’re allowed to fall in love with yourself! Not in a narcissistic way of course but in deep appreciation of your self and your life – regardless of any challenges in your current circumstance. In this moment, right now, how about loving this moment and you in this moment? Not because of who you are and what you have, but just because YOU ARE. Just being alive is amazing! You’re a completely unique expression of the Divine – forget all the stupid stuff your mind makes up about you and just for a second imagine yourself through the eyes of love – you’re exquisite.
You’re exquisite without the need for anything. Your exquisite with no need of further explanation.
You just are. Trust me.
Don’t allow your mind to write a list of the things you lack. These lacks aren’t real. You’ve got everything you need to live in joy, love, and peace within you. It’s built in your hardware, even if you’ve lost the manual (just press all the buttons until something starts up – you’ve got this!)
Joy needs nothing physical – it’s a complete inside job.
When I was in my 20’s I came across a beautiful poem called You Learn by Jorge Luis Borges (although often attributed to Veronica A. Shoffstall). Click here for the full poem
And when I read the last paragraph, I was struck by the truth and wisdom in the lines,
“So you plant your own garden,
You decorate your own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.”
These words touched my soul instantly and they became my inner motto.
I began to decorate my own soul with the things that I loved. I began to search for what my soul really wanted to experience in this lifetime (not my mind, my soul). It was all about what would add to my inner joy, my inner garden, my inner decoration. So whenever I needed respite from the world, I had a beautiful inner sanctuary to enjoy.
My inner sanctuary is filled with everything from beautiful sunsets, to pandas falling over and off things repeatedly! What decorates your soul will be different to mine because we’re all unique (although I do highly recommend pandas for endless joy!)
Because of this inner sanctuary and quest, I can enjoy myself anytime, anyplace, anywhere and with very little. I can make myself laugh at the drop of a hat, I know all my favourite tunes to hum, I get excited by the small things that you can find anywhere like sunshine, or a beautiful tree.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the company of others!
But I also LOVE my own company, because we have so much fun. I don’t have to explain why I love a pebble, I know why I love a pebble, it’s just easy!
I told my mum the other day about how excited I was about a bag of potatoes and she exclaimed, “Only you could get excited about a bag of potatoes!” but that’s the point. I CAN get very excited and very grateful about a bag of potatoes, or a pebble or a leaf.
You’ll NEVER meet another you out there in the world. You might meet someone similar, but no-one exactly like you. So why not get to know yourself better? Have fun, laugh together! Learn together, grow together. You’ve got a built-in bestie for life! Don’t judge them, just love them and they’ll love you right back! Enjoy Your Self. Enjoy Being You.
Love ,
Sharon x
PS Not sure what you’d have in your inner sanctuary? Look at the world without taking anything for granted and remember your childlike awe of smallest thing! Gratitude journals are a good place to excavate this kind of gold. Gratitude opens the treasure chest of joy! Start with a list of things you love and choose from there regularly.
I get a lot of my soul’s decoration from nature: a ray of sunlight on a gloomy day, a beautiful sunset, a magnificent old tree (and giving it a wave or a hug), getting drenched in a rain downpour and then snuggling under a warm blanket with a good book! A good big glass of wine and a real fire. The simple pleasures decorate my soul and if you notice, I can enjoy all of these alone if I wish and they don’t cost anything or much. And that’s the joy of self-love – you and your self have the same likes, loves and same temperament! You have your own bestie inside of you. How can you not enjoy your life when the person you’re spending the time with is you!