Inspiration |Life Lessons | Grief | Self | Philosophy

Embrace Your Inner Boldness

In each moment you live, you have a choice — what will it be?

Note from Linda: Part of being bodacious is that I have to be BOLD to live the new life of my new dreams.

“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”

~ Marilyn Monroe

“… but sometimes you have to go the wrong way to find the right way.”

~ Maddie Bosch from a Bosch TV episode

When I first wrote down these two quotes, I thought they were powerful, positive thoughts. Inspirational insights giving someone hope as she struggles with loss, grief, and despair.

Then reflecting on the quotes today, I wondered, are they really?

Do life and love have to be earned through suffering?

Maybe.

Until we learn this Stoic lesson. We create our suffering by the ”horror” stories we tell ourselves rather than seeing life as it truly is. Our perceptions define whether events, things, people, and situations are good or bad. When neither is true. Without our stories, life is. Not good. Not bad.

Life just is.

Looking at life in this way eliminates all kinds of psycho-babble baggage.

Life is in each moment. There is no past because it’s gone and no longer exists. There’s no future because it hasn’t happened yet. There’s no guarantee the next moment, minute, hour, or day will be ours to experience. So, why waste each precious moment with fear, hate, and negativity?

Life is now.

This moment on its own, at this very second, just is.

As you become aware of each succeeding moment, how do you feel in each moment? Probably, if you’re honest with yourself, you feel ok. If you linger a bit more, though, you may notice some irritation in your body. Is a story intruding into your thoughts? Ready to tell the same ol’ disaster tale? That the world is dangerous, that you’re aching, that so ‘n so slighted you, and on and on? And, if you let it, your story can make you feel terrible, see your life as one of pain and suffering.

You don’t have to listen to this story. Stop listening. Forever.

Instead, decide to let the past go — don’t let it control you anymore or dictate what your life should be like. Decide not to project fearful thoughts into your future — for they are only thoughts and not real.

Decide that you’re gonna live your life to the fullest. In every moment that you’re breathing.

You have a choice, in every moment, to be BOLD.

Banish all disempowering stories from your self-talk. These stories are misrepresentations of what actually is. Our stories are the perceptions and meaning we assigned to reality. Not reality itself.

Open up to life’s opportunities for joy, happiness, and love. When we cling to living our stories’ distorted reality, we’re unable to see there is a way out. We’re unable to see that life is full of wonderful possibilities.

Let go of the past. You can’t change it. It’s already happened and gone. Hanging onto the past isn’t going to make your life any better. Hanging onto past regrets, sorrows, and wrongs done unto you doesn’t bring you peace or closure. It only makes you relive the sadness, anger, and disappointments over and over — like Bill Murray in the “Ground Hog Day” movie.

Dare to savor everything in your life. Live in awe. Our lives are filled with miracles. To get a sense of how miraculous your life is, imagine what your life would be like if you lived in pre-historic times. Ignore all that you have no control over (the weather, politics, other people, or nature). Rather, endeavor to DO all you can do to make your dreams and goals a reality.

Delight in every moment you boldly live your life to the fullest. For you will then change your outcomes from being a victim of misguided perceptions to outcomes of having a joi de vivre and a zest for life.

© 2020 by Linda Kay Halladay. All rights reserved.

I want to thank Dr. Yildiz and the entire Illumination community for creating this platform to help each other have better lives filled with joy, love, and happiness. I also want to thank Tim Maudlin and Jeff Herring for their support and encouragement to publish what I’ve written.

Illumination is a great publication to find fabulous stories. Here are links to some of my writer friends -whose stories I think you would enjoy: Tim Maudlin JeffHerring.com Brenda Christopher MaryJo Wagner, PhD Dr Mehmet Yildiz Vickie Trancho Jesse-Melva Johnson Sunita Pandit Peg Duchesne Benecia L. Ponder John Kremer Jacquelyn Lynn Kelda Ytterdal Phil Nomanono Isaacs Rick Hoefer Ellen Mogensen Dave Kwiecinski Joan Kent, PhD Roger Himes Esq. Terri Ward Nicki Walsh Susan Joy Schleef Nancy H. Vest Dr Jeanne King PhD Nile Nickel Cynthia Charleen Alexander Linda Miles Murray Thomas Anderson Andrew Poletto Dr. Sue Massimo Breakfield and Burkey Tom Antion Casi Mclean

PS I’m a widow who refuses to live a life filled with grief but, instead, I live a life filled with joy, happiness, and love. I’m allowing my bodaciousness to direct how I will live the rest of my life.

© 2020 by Linda Kay Halladay. All rights reserved.

I’ve written about my journey out of grief and into bodaciousness. If this story helped you to alleviate some sadness or grief, I invite you to read my other stories about life and the possibilities to experience joy once more.

This story is brought to you by Linda Kay Halladay. Find out more about my travels through grief in my introduction: