We all have unexplored terrain within ourselves and our growth is determined by our willingness to go deep within to these areas. It is human to hesitate to go all in. Fully committed is a tough and perhaps not even truly possible space to be in. It is a space which contains the unknown. A space which forces us to either turn on our survival mechanism, to be sure we have an escape route in the event things go awry, or to trust and that we will be okay with what is to come and we will not come to harm, and perhaps even thrive. Two diametrically opposed points of view. One is the ‘commonsensical ‘ way to respond, as who puts all their eggs in one baskets? Only those prepared to lose it all, like gamblers. So for the majority we tiptoe around, stay comfortable, give someone a little or even a lot, but hold just a bit back, cause we don’t want to lose ourselves. Mostly because we don’t truly understand what the experience entails- all in-as it is foreign territory. But what if it’s by going all in we actually find ourselves? The parts we hadn’t explored or been willing to share before . Fear is the root of what holds us back. We can name it all kinds of other things: caution, safety, smarts, but if the root is the unexamined self, then we are limiting ourselves and the possibilities we allow in. Burning all escape routes to stay committed and present with what is before us directs our energies to this moment in space and time as it is presenting itself. Being in the moment is all we have. When we fantasize about having an experience other than the one we’re in, we’re pulling potential energy away from creation- siphoning it off-so it’s not available to create what it is we truly desire. To do that means riding the bumps, brainstorming solutions and not jumping ship for greener pastures. When we grow vulnerable, it changes our relationships, they become more. More committed, open, full and real. More like the life our hearts wish for. Now this comes with a caveat. That this commitment is to grow oneself- in love, service and joy- not stay a course of abuse or sameness , but to become the ‘all’ that is uniquely us, to grow to the fullness of our capacities and relationships. So check the fear and go all in, for life, for love, for self.
