A Ready Listener: Dare to Be. For 31 days.

Monday, September 30, 2013

Dare to Be. For 31 days.

Each year for the past several years, The Nester has invited anyone who would like to write for 31 days on a single topic to link up with her for the month of October. Last year I tried it for the first time and it was a blast, if not a little bit challenging. I was so glad I put myself to the test though! You can see last year's 31 Day series here. Come along with me this year. I explain my topic below.

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I was sitting in my Daring Greatly workshop {see September 30 post} on the first day, and the facilitator handed out permission slips to each of us. Remember those? The ones that our moms had to sign so we could get out of school for the dentist?

Something clicked in me when I was handed that permission slip and told, "in this workshop we can give ourselves permission. Whatever it is that you need permission to do, give it to yourself here." One of Brene Brown's (author of Daring Greatly) sayings is

'Show up. Be seen. Live brave'. After a minute of thought, I wrote,

"I give myself permission to not be cool. to not be perfect. to say it wrong."

Those things are the things I struggle with. Often.

I wrote in my journal the next morning, and what came out of that was this:

"Maybe I need to write a list of things I give myself permission for. What a great idea. My list will be so long! Because, for my whole life I've felt overly responsible for everything and everyone. It's time I give myself permission. To let myself off the hook. The hook is what's keeping me in pain. The hook is what's keeping me in bondage. The hook taunts and grabs and tears and holds on."

After that, I started making a list of things I need and want to give myself permission to do. I finally couldn't think of one more thing to put on the list when I got to No. 65!! Okay, some of them ended up being a bit redundant, but most of them weren't. Friends, I need some work.

This 31 day series was born that day. At least the bare bones of it. I decided to write about those things that I'm {urging myself} to give myself permission to do and be. I decided to call my series Dare to Be. I chose that because that's what I'm really doing. I'm daring myself, and now you, to Be. To be the real you. To show up. be seen. be brave. To maybe give yourself some permission that is long overdue.

I'm so excited to share the things I'm learning to give myself permission for and the things that I'm learning to do to Dare to Be.

This will be the official landing page for the links to all the posts in the series!

Thanks for coming along with me and I welcome conversations. We need each other!

Blessings,

Anne