One of my favorite quotes of all time is by writer Jo Coudert:
“Of all the people you will know in a lifetime, you are the only one you will never leave or lose. To the question of your life, you are the only answer. To the problems of your life, you are the only solution.”
At the 2023 Oscars last month, Lady Gaga took this wisdom a step further during her personal introduction:
“… we all need a hero sometimes. There are heroes all around us in assuming places, but you might find that you can be your own hero even if you feel broken inside.”
Lady G is right! We can still be our own hero, even when—not if—we feel broken inside. Part of being human is occasionally—alright, even frequently–feeling broken by life. Not one of us is spared that rocky journey, no matter what our background, education or talents. To know we can still deserve & rely on the refuge of our own company—even when we reflect our fragile humanity– feels very comforting, doesn’t it?
From my experience, especially with clients, we’re not used to thinking of ourselves as possessing or providing a safe harbor deep within, a place where we can draw strength & even inspiration. In fact, many of us are wary of such a space because we’re afraid of encountering ugly, threatening shadow sides of ourselves that society might judge unacceptable &, well, broken.
The truth is that the whole package is worthy of respect & awe.
I use an amazing tool with coaching clients that honors the totality of our being. It’s called MARI—Mandala Assessment Research Instrument. MARI is a unique, whole-brain psychological assessment tool that uses symbols & colors to reveal your authentic self–brokenness & all–the self that actually contains a universe of inspiring beauty, complexity & potential. If being able to celebrate yourself, warts & all, is something that sounds intriguing as well as reassuring, please contact me to learn more about MARI. I’ve never worked with a client yet who hasn’t felt inspired by their revealed self.
For more info. on MARI in the meantime, check out my webpage: https://journeystohealing.com/mari/
And here’s to discovering that hero(ine) within!
🙏🏻💌
Deb~