Grace is everywhere and is so abundantly given to us.  Why is it then that we are so reluctant to give it to ourselves and others?   In this week’s podcast of Reviving Your Soul (Now Longing for More), I share that I’ve been drawn to touch on the topic for some time, but have really been avoiding doing so.  And then I realized that my reluctance was because I felt pressure (from no-one but my self) to make sure it was perfect.  Ironic, isn’t it? 

In my work, I talk about embracing your faith and living the life you were created for.  I believe that God placed a dream in all of our hearts to have an amazing life.  To be happy.  To be healthy.  And to live in fulfillment.   I also believe that the world is constantly trying to convince us that we can’t have that dream because we aren’t good enough or because somebody else’s dream is more important or we don’t have the right tools or enough time to really follow it.  My mission is to help you get past all those lies and give yourself permission to live a life of grace. To stretch yourself and give yourself the freedom to follow your heart and to be something less than perfect in the process.     

When was the last time you gave yourself permission to do something outside your comfort zone?  To do that thing that is challenging and exciting at the same time. If you are like most of us, I’ll bet its been a while.  Somewhere along the way, we learned to look at our “mistakes” or “failures” as barriers instead of opportunities.  We went from learning from them and trying to figure out how we can be better in the process of avoiding doing anything that we might not do well.  

Instead, in the process of being safe and protecting ourselves from judgment and recriminations, we start to conform to what the people around us expect and the true lines that define who we are starting to get blurry.  Are we truly being ourselves?  Or are we being the person that others would like us to be?

A really good example of this was a conversation I had during a coaching session recently.  We were discussing a couple of different options the client could take in a new career path and she talked about how some of her friends were encouraging her to do one thing and others were telling her she really needed to do something else.  I asked what she thought she needed to do and she asked, “you mean if I wasn’t worried about what the others would think or judge me for choosing the one I want?”  Yes, exactly!

In this week’s episode of the podcast, I encourage you to step out and be your true self.  To accept your whole self, flaws, and all.  Instead of pretending they aren’t there to embrace them!  By learning to love and accept our true self- every aspect of ourselves – we can begin to love life and begin to change things in our lives that we would like to change. 

I also discuss how we need to let down this facade that makes us feel that we need to be perfect.  Of how we can only develop true relationships when we let our vulnerability show so we can truly love and support one another in an honest and sincere way.  

No one is perfect.  We all fall short of our expectations, but not all of us are willing to accept those shortcomings honestly. We can, however, forgive ourselves when we fall short.  We can be kind to one another even when we don’t see eye to eye.  There will always be those with whom we disagree or feel aren’t living up to our expectations. That, my friend, is the opportunity that paves the way for us to respond with compassion and understanding. I find when I do that, the other person will respond in a similar manner.  Honestly we sometimes just need to show a little grace even at the expense of our pride.  Please, the next time you have the chance, try stepping into this concept of living a life of grace.  It can change everything.  

Be sure to listen to the podcast to catch Living a Life of Grace.  If you like what you hear, I would love it if you could subscribe to the show so you won’t miss future episodes and then share it with your friends! 

Thank you for stopping on my site to read this blog.  I hope you have an amazing week filled with grace and love.