Tomorrow I am being interviewed for a web course by a sister wolf friend of mine, Roseanny Liu. She is a confidence master, speaker, mother of two and author and she asked me if I would be interested in discussing ways that we can cultivate bravery.
Naturally, I am thinking in depth about bravery; mine, yours, the whole worlds' and what it means to BE brave.
To me, bravery is being honest; saying what is real and true for us even when it means becoming unpopular and losing likes.
Bravery is stepping to the edge of a precipice, knowing that we have the chance of dying, and taking the leap anyway because the fear of living with regret would be too unbearable.
Bravery is doing what our heart calls us to do even when our brain screams out in vein, "NO!"
Bravery is taking 100% responsibility for our screw-ups, our mistakes, our misinterpretations of reality, and then doing whatever it takes to make amends for it.
Bravery is saying, "I messed up. I was wrong. I wasn't thinking clearly. And, because I sinned against you, I will pay the just penalty."
Bravery is not only admitting when we have made mistakes but asking for forgiveness from those whom we have specifically injured.
Bravery is telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
So, last night I did something that I feel was brave. Or maybe it was stupid. I cannot know for sure until I see how things play out. Amish Tripathi wrote in his book, Scion of Ikshvaku, "There's a thin line that separates courage from stupidity...And that line is only visible in retrospect, my friend. If I'm successful, people will call me brave. If I fail, I will be called foolish. Let me do what I think is right. I'll leave the verdict to the future.”
It sounds silly as I write this but here you go. "I am brave because I deleted my Facebook account."
Wow!
"How is that brave?" You might be wondering.
Let me tell you.
I am running a small-business called Born Wonderful® and I have a blog...yes, this blog. You are reading it. Truth be told, this blog doesn't get much traffic as it is.
Facebook is an easy free marketing platform to invite people over to my website to hear about my latest offerings, events, products and to share my writing. And, Facebook would be the perfect place to market and promote my most recent achievement, my new book, The Born Wonderful® Way To Manifest Magic - The Three-Step-Solution To A More Magical Mood.
According to just about ALL of the conventional wisdom on marketing and self-promotion, I should market it and promote it on Facebook. I was planning on doing just that. In fact, I have already sold forty copies simply by sharing a link for the book. But last night I got to that glorious precipice where I could clearly see that what I needed to do to take care of my emotional well-being was to delete the extra noisy chit-chat and gossip that lives on Facebook and that is not welcome in my world.
Over the years, I have used Facebook to bring people together, to share my public events, to advertise to promote and the list goes on and on. I post funny pictures just to make people laugh. I chime in and compliment people. I have invited every woman I know to come to my public classes because I wouldn't want people to feel left out. And, I have invited all of my "friends" to like my business page and according to my calculations, 4% did. Thank you to my 4%! I appreciate you and I know you by name.
Now, I know some people don't check their invitations and maybe like my Mom, you still aren't sure how to log in and give the thumbs up but regardless, I have been hanging in on that social network platform for longer than I wanted to.
Please, if you are my friend in real life and we hang out, don't make what I am about to write here about you. I can assure you it is not. I am writing about the people that don't really know me. This is about my experience.
Personally, over the years, I have actively engaged in heart-felt discussions; often attempting to share facts; not fiction because I want to feel connected to people. I want to share in a collective experience with people who are willing to look deeper than their own clouded view of reality to see things from a global perspective. I am the queen of self-reflection. When I screw up, I am the first to admit it. Sometimes, I do way too much self-reflection to the point of self-deprivation. But, you can count on me to at least hear you out. But you better realize I will hear you out and then I will fact-check every word from your mouth. Sorry, I cannot help it. Like I said, "Bravery is telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth."
Now, I am not totally innocent here, like many people, I have also used Facebook at times to vent, to rant, to post my political opinions and for that, I have often attracted energy that I normally wouldn't invite into my life.
Since I received my own copy of my book at the beginning of this year, I have been doing the practices I describe in this little portal of magic. With a lot of inner reflection, I realized that it was time for me to break up with Facebook. It has become an unhealthy habit of scrolling and getting triggered by trolls. Just last night as another so-called friend or troll who only comments when she finds fault with me, I realized I don't want these types of connections in my life. It's too easy for unconscious people to direct their rage at random targets rather than fixing what's broken inside of themselves. Like they say, "Hurt people hurt people." But, here's what you should remember if you are an intuitive empath like me, "It's not your job to hold their pain."
STEP 1 OF THE 3-STEP SOLUTION TO A MORE MAGICAL MOOD, is to release anything from your mind that disturbs your peace. As is written in The Born Wonderful® Way To Manifest Magic, "When we don't consciously release the energy of trauma or other forms of suffering, the pain of the experiences stays in our body stored in our unconscious mind, affecting our life until we uncover it and release it."
Af for me, I realized I needed to release my exposure to hearing, seeing, and reading views of reality that are skewed because they are only being offered from a "me first" perspective rather than a global conscious understanding of the symbiotic relationship that exists between all life forms.
Why stay connected to a platform that allows for such a lack of compassion and zero ethical boundaries where people can say anything they want without real consequences?
In the work that I do as a circle facilitator, everyone has an opportunity to speak, words are sacred, and we work towards releasing assumptions, judgments, and encourage each other to do our own ego work so that we can evolve together.
If the conversation does not start with the intention to see every life as equally valuable as the next, I am not interested in being a part of it.
So while I will miss seeing a lot of cute adorable family photos and being connected with many people who share in the same ethical boundaries as I do, and even some of my family members who live in various parts of the country, we can still stay connected. Just not on Facebook.
I will let you know whether I was brave or stupid when I count up my book sales five years from now. But I know personally, I am doing what's right for me.
In the meantime, if you want to stay connected with me, subscribe to my site or go old school and pick up the phone to dial my number.
And, if you want to release what no longer serves you, get your own PORTAL OF MAGIC!!
Sending you healing vibes and soulful prayers for your growth and evolution!
