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What is your legacy?

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What is your legacy?

Let's face it, we all have them.

We all have our legacies. Some are more positive, like a family that demonstrated loyalty and was there for you and helped you to feel safe in the world. Others, not so much.  Maybe your family was never there for you, or maybe someone who should have been there for  you wasn't.  All that stuff contributes to our legacy, our story.  We get to choose whether or not  to live in the story, but in order to be at choice, in  order to not be continually victimized by our past, there is work for us to be done.

Part of what I advocate and teach is something I called spiritual practice, more religious traditions refer to it as confession, and in the secular world it is called introspection.

And there are probably as many ways to do introspection as there are people.

I don't know that the method matters. What I do know is that it is imperative, if you want to live a life free from the demons of the past and the self-imposed limitations based on outdated belief systems...IMPERATIVE that you cultivate inner awareness. I do not believe that it is possible to live a happy life unless a regular practice of introspection (followed by sharing and amends, or confession and penitence) is a part of that life. I feel very strongly about this. It is part of a lifestyle that works to allow for freedom and peace in our lives, at least it has for me.

It is also highly important to have a support system in place to be there for you when you do this. You are likely to experience anger, sadness and all the other feelings commonly associated with grieving.

Why grieving? Isn't grieving usually associated with a loss? Yes, and....in doing this kind of work, there is a loss when we take a good hard look at, for example, a legacy which may really suck, and decide we are not going to claim that legacy.

It is not a pleasant process, except if you are anything like me, you know....you have faith that when the process is done, the legacy will no longer have the power to affect who and what you are, and you will be free to create a new legacy.

Today, I hope you are aware of your legacies, and I hope you are doing the inner work necessary to free yourself from them if they are not serving you.