Staying Aware of Our Actions and Words

In an ideal world, we all take responsibility for our actions and our words each and every day. Some of us have learned in adulthood to let go of difficult childhoods where our voices were not heard or did not matter, or where our dreams were not encouraged. We may have learned to let go of our childhoods, which may have been wrought with abuse, neglect, sadness, and disempowerment at the hands (or words) of those who were responsible for our lives.

We may have learned to let go of our childhoods, which may have created for us feelings of fear, anxiety, hostility, anger, and resentment. Most of us, as adults, learn to move past or ideally THROUGH the pain that our childhoods caused us so long ago. As we mature and grow, we learn what we will tolerate in our lives, what we absolutely will not tolerate, and what we need simply to let go of.

Many of us will respond to a loving gesture or a kind word with much of the same, because it is simple to respond to kindness with kindness. But when someone hurls negative words or actions our way, how do we respond to that type of behavior? Many of us will respond in kind, and the animosity will generate much of the same. It is built into most of our personalities to fight fire with fire!

Many of us are reactive, rather than responsive. The reason for that probably has to do with many of our childhood situations. There are certain words, feelings, or actions that trigger emotional memories from our distant pasts when we are spoken to or treated harshly or unkindly. The subconscious energy generated within our cellular memories is tripped. Some of us describe it like this: “I don’t know what happened. I just blew up!” “I felt as though someone else took over and I lost it!” “I saw red!”

I am a reactive person, and I am constantly working on honing my patience skills and allowing things to just flow by me without allowing others' judgments and negative words to permeate my Being. It's a difficult process, and one in which I must remain aware of my own words and actions continually.

Sometimes, as human beings do, I slip up and fall back a few steps. I simply pick up the pieces and move forward. In this process called Life, there is no time for regret or halting when we stumble on the journey. This journey ~ our personal journey ~ is not only a personal one that simply cannot be shared with anyone, it is about moving forward no matter what.

As long as I am not hurting anyone in my own process, I continue to move forward. I strive to be real (authentic), honest, tactful, loving, kind, compassionate, and accepting of the differences that we all have because intrinsically I know we are all connected in the fabric of Life.
What helps you on your personal journey? What obstacles do you find yourself needing to overcome?