19 Aug What Are Your Walls Really Keeping Out?
There once was a young girl who was happy and carefree. Every day the scales tipped towards joy for her.
Until they didn’t.
And, on that day, everything started to change without her even realizing it.
She was teased, and it didn’t feel good. She didn’t want to ever feel that again, so she started to build a wall of protection (or so she thought). It didn’t work very well, but it seemed like the smartest thing to do.
People that she thought she could trust let her down. She added more bricks to her wall. If she did this life all by herself, then no one could let her down. “Yes, that’s how you do it,” she reasoned.
Others left her, and it hurt. More bricks. The hurt didn’t go away, but maybe if she built it stronger, it eventually would.
What she didn’t realize, on that fateful day when she began constructing her wall, is that with each brick she added to keep out what she didn’t want in her life, she was also keeping out the things that she did want. In fact, she didn’t even know SHE had been building walls. She thought someone else had put them there. Surely, she wasn’t creating what she was experiencing. It was happening to her.
And then, one day, someone helped her see the walls she had built. She didn’t know what she didn’t know. But now that she knew it, she was scared. What would happen if she started taking down her walls? She was at a standstill. Should she risk it, or should she play it safe?
Of course, this person is me. And, regarding those two choices of risking it or playing it safe, I’ve done both many, many, MANY times. My truth today, though, is that the lower my wall, the greater my capacity to live in JOY. It’s still scary. I still get hurt, and it still doesn’t feel good. AND, I realize that building the wall doesn’t help me IN ANY WAY. It just hurts me because I keep the stuff that feels good out too.
What are your walls keeping out?
Choose Joy!
Barb
Would you like to build stronger relationships? Are you willing to accept responsibility for your relationships? It all begins with you! If you’d like to see a different perspective, let’s talk. There’s no cost and no strings – no walls required. Email me at barb@high5leadership.com to schedule your call.