The following blog is by Stephanie Neutze who owns my favorite bakery For The Love of Bakery! It beautifully describes what went down at my Manifestation Retreat to Ojai. I was pretty blown away by this, and by her, so I felt I must share. Enjoy! My retreats sell out fast so please click here to book or for info. Keep being f*cking amazing!
What Happens When You Admit Out Loud You Are Scared?
October 23, 2012I am just back from my Manifestation Retreat. My biggest retreat to date. 47 people.
Our mantra: Be Fucking Amazing!
And we were.
Last night, as a true testament to my retreat, about ten people from the retreat came to my yoga class at Equinox. They hadn’t seen each other in less than 24 hours and couldn’t bear to be apart.
Maybe this is my gift, after all? This power of connection, of being a connector?
So after class we all go out to eat and it truly was the most inspiring group dinner I have ever had the pleasure of being part of in my whole life.
I came home to this email, which was sent to two other people. It was brave and it broke me. I was so touched.
With permission I am sharing. My request is that although the name remains anonymous, you comment below and let this person know that they are not alone in this. Not now.
Not ever.
Here is the email:
So I came home and cried tonight.
I went to one of the best yoga classes I have ever taken…surrounded by all of my new, fucking amazing friends. There was laughter, there was connection, there was love. It was truly a magical moment in time that I wanted to hold onto forever.
But at dinner afterwards, everyone started opening up about their feelings, and their struggles, and their experiences. It was so incredibly touching to see people who were strangers 3 days ago sharing their hearts. And, yet again, I couldn’t do the same. I couldn’t say “I’ve been there too”, or “My family is broken as well”, or “I’ve lost people I loved”. Even though all are true. I couldn’t open up.
I don’t know how.
I don’t know how to be vulnerable.
I don’t know how to tell people when they hurt my feelings.
I don’t know how to ask for help.
I don’t know how to not take everything so seriously.
I don’t know how to receive love.
I don’t know how to not be the person I have been for the last 34 years.
Where do I even start?
Do I admit that I’m scared all the time? Of being alone, of not being accepted, of failure? Or that I can’t stop criticizing myself–when I look in the mirror, when I can’t do a yoga pose, when I don’t bring in that extra page of business? Or that I don’t think my family will ever really heal from everything we’ve gone through?
What happens if I start saying these things out loud?
I really don’t know. But I want to. I don’t want to be the one on the outside looking in. The one who can’t truly connect past the surface level. The one who won’t let herself cry in front of other people.
I don’t want to be that person.
Maybe by telling 3 people, I will start to not be her.
So I ask you this. What happens when you admit out loud that you are scared all the time and all the other questions that were posed in this email?
Just watch the outpouring of love and support.
Just watch.
Post your comment below.