We are all Amazing Human Beings — Diary of a Traveling Light Worker, Branding Expert & Mom
Let me begin by saying that if you are used to my articles, you might be expecting a piece on neuroscience or wellbeing — but today, that’s not what I have to offer.
This is an excerpt from my own journal. And I’m sharing it with you as the message is so important for everybody.
You are an amazing human being. We all are.
This came to me on a recent trip to Iceland. The message felt like a download from above; received when I was standing barefoot in a bathing suit in the rain. Far from my comfort zone, and a little bit chilly, I felt my spirit lift at this thought.
Spending time amongst amazing people allows their special sauce to rub off on us, and if we let it, their magical qualities can also linger. Add in a few special rituals and deeply emotional experiences and you’ve got a recipe for transformational empowerment.
When I arrived in Keflavik airport I was sort of buzzing with anticipation. I had met the radiantly beautiful Sól and her equally gorgeous friend Ása in Alicante, Spain this April. During the two days of that gathering of transformational teachers everyone walked around in a bit of a haze of love, positive energy and magic. Thanks to the masterful intention and creation work of our host, Steinar Ditlefsen, the European Transformational Teachers Gathering provided the platform for us each to share the highest vision for ourselves and for our work on this planet.
Speakers and attendees were each being called to imagine going beyond the ordinary speaker, healer and coach that we may have arrived as, and to welcome the possibility of becoming Transformational Teachers and Global Luminaries.
I spoke on the first day, after Steinar gave an uplifting presentation that immediately elevated us to a higher state of vibration and vision. My presentation was not planned. I was originally asked to speak for just 15 minutes, but was given a full hour to share just before taking the stage.
Having bought into Steinar’s big dream of taking the crowd on a journey of transformation, I spoke from my heart about my journey as a TV personality, speaker and now mentor to Lightworkers. I explained my view of our role in this present age of awakening, including the 5 stages of growth we embark upon in our journey to becoming Global Luminaries.
Given that I did not have a plan for how to weave my personal story together with the future vision I am boldly presenting to the world, I was keen to gauge the audiences reaction along the way. I love interacting with my audiences, especially when I present new information or new ways of thinking about our spiritual life and soul work.
So I was happy to hear people responding out loud when I asked questions and to see them nodding in agreement with my explanations encouraged me. Including the time that I asked the crowd an important question. I encourage you, dear reader, to answer this for yourself.
“If you strip away your title, ethnic background and even your gender, who are you? What is left? At your core, who are you?”
That day I heard responses such as:
I am love.
I am soul.
I am God.
I am spirit.
I am one.
And from Sól I heard, “I am you.” To which I replied, “Yes, and I am you. You are me. I am you. So if I am you and you are me, why would we ever be afraid to be boldly who we deeply desire to be? Why would we censor ourselves, judge ourselves or judge others?”
I realized it was kind of a deep question, and a bit of a mind warp. So I moved on to talk about how I had spent so many years judging myself, feeling like I was not good enough, not smart enough. I spoke of how hard I was on myself, with high standards of perfection that drove me to strive for achievement and approval.
As I explained how my ascent up the media superstar ladder led me to the height of a career filled with the outer appearance of success which left me feeling empty and depressed. I was honest and vulnerable and fully present.
At one point, however, I looked over to the table that Sól and Ása were sitting at, just as she turned her head with her chin in her hand. It looked to me that she was bored! I was struck by a twinge of fear that my story about myself had led me down a rabbit hole that was dull or boring. So I got back to my presentation to talk about the beautiful future I envision for each of us to step up and into a powerful role as leaders, shining brightly as we do our work to heal others, and the planet.
I managed to end on a high note and felt the energy of the crowd as appreciative and inspired. And indeed, speaking with these beautiful people over the next couple of days I learned that many of them also believed in the possibility of that future vision. Some, with tears in their eyes, thanked me for being so real, open and true to my mission. I was deeply touched.
I was also relieved and soothed to hear from Sól during that weekend that she was not bored while I was sharing. She was deeply touched and moved to tears during my talk! She told me that my story was so closely related to her own that it was uncanny. Sól told me that she, too, wants to be able to stand on a global platform to share her truth and her vision for a world filled with love, so we agreed to keep in touch.
From that point forward, I mingled and hugged these new friends with a commitment to return next year and to share more of what I believe can help us all get the visibility we need to reach more souls on this planet. I imagined that if the magic of our time together in Spain could be bottled and shared with the world with the same force of passion and unconditional love we would have a powerful force for to share with the world. But that’s just fantasy and dreamy conjecture, right? No one can inspire that kind of fairy-like optimism, can they?
The answer is yes. And Sól has done it. And I am forever transformed. But I’m getting ahead of myself — let me explain. Everything changed when I visited Sól in Iceland…
In 4 and a half days Sól has recreated a magical atmosphere that encouraged me to go beyond my preconceived notions of ‘who I was.’ Even in all of my empowered speech and inspired visions, I have previously said that ‘I am lame.’
Sound shocking? Yes, despite my preaching against the danger of negative self-talk, I would regularly claim that I was lame. Looking at the things I didn’t do — like staying out late, or letting go of my need to be warm, clean, or dry — I admitted to being kind of a ‘lame mommy’. I favored staying home on weekends, getting to bed early, turning down social invitations and abstaining from outdoor activities that I couldn’t control.
Lame. Lame. Lame.
Thanks to Sól and her friends, I can honestly say, “I am no longer lame!” The combined effects of attending a bonfire welcome party by the sea (in the ‘cold’), island hopping on boats and ferries, attending an outdoor concert and singing in Icelandic ’til the wee hours of the morning, followed by intense hot yoga classes, a goddess circle during a full moon cacao ceremony and a sweat lodge which included me standing barefoot in a bathing suit in the rain, I have gone outside of my comfort zone and my pre-determined preferences.
What I’ve discovered is that I was living a somewhat dull life compared to what was possible if I would but try. I have discovered that “I am an amazing human being.”
This is not a bragging statement. This is an honest observation of the body that my spirit is living in. I learned through Sól’s example that I can exercise in the evening. I can stay up late hanging with beautiful people, even strangers and wake up the next day ready for another adventure. I can be dripping with sweat and feel comfortable and even attractive that way.
If you’re curious to know just a bit of what it looked like to finally let go of my need to be perfect and in control, just check out a few of the videos and photos I shared on Facebook. You’ll see a collection of radiant, beautiful people who have been inspired by Sól and their Icelandic heritage to fully embrace their beauty, their right to pleasure, and to bask in the joy of sisterhood. I got to bask in the glow and feel the radiance of an enlightened woman, a goddess truly aligned with her spiritual purpose and fiercely burning with soul passion.
There was no way that I was going to say no to the various experiences on offer. I admit, the idea of appearing ‘lame’ to my new client and mentee, made me step up my game a bit. How else could I justify my role as a leader into bold self-expression if I wasn’t willing to experience and taste her way of being?
During the cacao ceremony, the leader, Camilla, led us through a meditation to release anything that no longer served us. We were led through a beautiful ceremony of tapping into higher wisdom and embracing the healing power of the Guatemalan cacao. Then Sól and Ása played gongs so gently and masterfully, accompanied by harp and singing bowls that made for a true goddess gathering under the light of the full moon. Not a single woman left that evening without acknowledging how wonderful the experience was and how grateful they were that Sol had the presence of mind to organize such a powerful event.
At every moment during my stay I felt nurtured and supported, such is the uplifting presence of Sól. She radiates such confidence and self-assuredness that I felt the need to try some of that on myself. What I found was surprisingly comfortable, not fake. I was authentically being me, enjoying my own delicious goddess energy in the presence of other women who were also trying on their goddess style — and it was magical!
We laughed, we cried, we sang and we drank in the luscious warmth of cacao with an openness to being transformed. And that is just what Sól intends to inspire millions of women (and men!) around the world to do. She wants more people to crack open their hearts so they can experience more love, for themselves, for their bodies, for their life.
Sól explained how much she herself was transformed when she left her high-powered career as a stock broker. A life in high stakes finance, surrounded by men, left her feeling like something was missing. Without the belief that she was free to show her feminine side she wore power suits with a fierce attitude. Not knowing how the world would receive the love she freely allows to flow through her eyes, her voice and her heart, she denied herself the right to full self-expression.
That’s all been replaced by a heavenly goddess wardrobe with waves of love and light that stream from her to penetrate even the hardest of shells. The ease and grace with which she glides and strides through a room is a joy to behold and a force which transforms through love.
As I fly home I am so damned proud of myself and so excited to take my newfound self-love to the next level. And yes, I know there is even more I can bring forth and that charges me up!
With just a few days at home before I leave for a special healer’s training in Orlando, Florida, I’m looking forward to reliving some of the moments of the last few days. And given what this Summer has provided me so far in terms of my spiritual growth I am certain the next month will be equally rewarding. In any case, I am bringing a renewed sense of purpose and openness to everything on my plate. Stay tuned!
P.S If you want to ‘come with me’ virtually — head over to my Facebook page and turn your notifications on. I will be broadcasting live from my forthcoming adventures! You can catch up with my post-Iceland Facebook live here too.
If you would like to hear from Sól, keep an eye out for my group book project — Time To Rise. Sól will be a contributing author! She is also joining me at my Roots of Purpose retreat this fall in the South of France, for more yoga and deep conversations.
Originally published at www.huffingtonpost.com on August 26, 2017.
