bliss

                                                                      photo by jaimiearnold.com

You may have wondered why I chose to include the word "blissful" in my blog title.  Can healthy eating and exercise really be that amazing?  Well, yes, they can.  But that's not why.  The reason is because bliss is so essential to my philosophy of living.  To live a full, meaningful, and personally authentic life is to live your bliss.  Bliss is not about perfectionism.  It is about joy.  It is about loving the process as much as the product.  It is about doing what you are meant to do in this world, not according to what others think you "should" do, but according to what makes your heart want to dance and sing.  I want to share with you a little bit about how I began to discover my bliss.

In early 2007, I found myself in a scary place.  My children were 7 years old, and 7 months old.  I was dealing with a nasty truth I did not want to face:  I needed a divorce.  At this time I had no career, was completely financially dependent, and was living in another state, away from family and friends.  I didn't even have my own credit cards, let alone a savings account.  Although I'd been attending school since the birth of my oldest child, I still had not completed my degree, and if I moved back to New England as I so wished to do, I would have to deal with the mess of sorting out another college transfer, another heap of credits down the drain that wouldn't fit the requirements of another school's degree plan.  Not to mention the fears I had about how my children would be affected by such a life change.  I didn't know if I was up for the challenge that lay ahead if I chose to walk this uncertain path.

Based on a "chance" discussion I had, someone recommended I check out a Women's Studies conference that was being held at the college I was attending.  That is how I "happened", one cold Saturday morning, to be sitting in a workshop held by a woman named Elizabeth Johnson, a graduate student of Women's Studies, and women's confidence coach.  The workshop was entitled "Tools to become more confident in your decisions," or something to that effect.  I soon found out that the universe had led me exactly where I needed to be, because Elizabeth Johnson's simple philosophy felt like an arrow hitting a bulls eye somewhere deep in my heart.  Her message was this:

Always honor your Authentic Self.

That's it.  If you follow this principle, you will always do the right thing.  What is Authentic Self?  Authentic Self is your core being, it is what makes you YOU.  It can be fleshed out by looking closely at your passions, values, and personal gifts.  I encourage you to do what I did in that workshop.  Pull out a notebook, and list them.  Try to list at least 5 answers to these three questions:

• What are your passions?  What do you LOVE?  What gets you excited?
• What values are most important to you?  Creativity?  Community?  The environment?  Self-expression?  Integrity?  Gratitude?
• What are your personal gifts/strengths?  What are you good at?  Are you a musician?  Do you have a way with words?  Are you a leader? 

I had an epiphany that day.  It became clear to me that the life I was living was not authentic.  I was making decisions based on what I thought would please others, not honoring who I really was.  I'm not saying it's wrong to do things for others.  Sometimes it feels good to give, but often we give too much.  The universe wants you to be the fullest expression of your own unique and beautiful self.  The universe does not want you to suffer, settle, or sacrifice.

When you know your Authentic Self (ever-evolving as it may be) you will know your bliss.  When you live authentically, you will live your bliss.

The revelation I experienced that morning gave me the courage and the conviction to take the first steps, however frightening they may have been, to begin living the life I was meant to have.  Much of what followed was not easy!  But it was right for me.  I am forever grateful.

LIVE YOUR BLISS!

From my heart,
Andrea

P.S. This is dedicated to all my friends who are at similar crossroads in their lives.  All my love.

Bliss: 

1. complete happiness: perfect happiness
2. spiritual joy: a state of spiritual joy

Synonyms: ecstasy, heaven, paradise, enjoyment, happiness, delight, pleasure, harmony, blessedness