That’s me, 2 years ago, getting ready to jump out of a small plane. My daughter is right behind me. We’re celebrating her 16th birthday.
That guy behind me? I’m strapped to him… very snugly. I’m not going anywhere without him. Which is why I found the entire experience relaxing and fun (except for free fall when I couldn’t breathe – wish he would have told me about that little detail). Otherwise, it was not scary at all.
Because I let myself be supported.
What if every day could be feel like that? Not that we want to be intimately strapped to strangers (I know, there are exceptions to every rule but for the most part) but that we want to know we are never alone.
That someone has our back.
Feeling alone and unsupported has to be one of the biggest sources of shame and stress in life. You’re the only person who is unemployed. You’re the only mother who screams at her toddler. You’re the only entrepreneur losing money after 3 years of working hard.
No, you are not. But it’s so easy to forget this and so easy to then block the very real and always present sources of support available to you.
Notice all the ways you are being supported right now. Start with gravity. Or oxygen. Or caffeine. Or the single summer rose in a bud vase on your desk. The warmth from a morning kiss. The memory of a hug your best friend gave you 3 years ago when you needed it most. The scent of your favorite soap. The lingering stillness of your morning meditation or writing practice. The gentle buzz of the chocolate or green juice you had for breakfast.
It’s all here, right now, supporting you.
Invite it in. Imagine breathing all this goodness into your heart. Imagine a thousand hummingbirds of goodness streaming in. Allow the beauty of this life in. Into your very self.
Ahh… see. Never alone.
And yes, I know, you may be alone in ways you don’t like – without a partner or your parents or savings or health benefits. I know that loneliness and stress too, as I know the best antidote for this lack of support is to look for the ways you are supported now, and then build from there. To start from goodness and move into action and connection.
In the spirit of that truth, my dear friend business strategist & energy alchemist Hiro Boga and I got together to chat about support. She is designing a one day digital retreat, The Heart of Support, and we had an exploratory chat about the subject. The recording is below – it’s a mini-retreat in itself.
I hope this post and our chat will help you feel more supported than jumping out of an airplane strapped to a big bearded guy you’ve just met.
Can You Let Yourself Be Supported with Hiro Boga and Jen Louden – listen for Jen’s snorts
And please consider joining Hiro for her digital Heart of Support retreat. I’s a ridiculously great deal and she’s the real deal. It will be so worth your time. I’ll be there!
