Awaken to Who You Are

Awaken to Who You Are by Alex Blackwell

Part One in the "Coming Into Your Own" Series

Each day we can make the choice to be either a passive passenger of the past or to live in the here and now and embrace the opportunities ahead. The key to doing this is to listen and to respond to the wake-up calls when presented to us.

Lorraine Cohen shares a part of her story and how she has responded to the wake-up calls in her life which have helped her to feel more powerful and more comfortable in her own skin.

When people ask me, "How have you come to be who you are today?" I say when my mother died in the mid-80's. Oh sure, I could tell you about my childhood experiences that helped mold my character, school and peer challenges, my shyness and insecurities about my value and worth because that is part of who I am.

I used to be a pretty angry person because feeling anger felt much more powerful than feeling afraid. When my mother died, I experienced a spiritual earthquake inside and I saw myself, literally standing in rubble as my protective walls came crashing down. It was one of the most painful and freeing experiences. How it happened? I have no answers other than to say it was time for me to WAKE UP! Some people call it "a spiritual emergence or spiritual crisis". That day was when I began coming home to myself and coming into my own.

I believe in order to come into your own you must awaken to who you really are as a human and spiritual being. Over the years I have faced and resolved many painful issues that have brought me to my knees and forced me to look at my negative self-talk, limiting beliefs, and self-sabotage so that I could embrace my positive qualities, talents, and strengths. This is a journey that takes courage to look at what causes fear and pain so that you can truly feel the love and joy of living. The turnkey for me was the deepening of my faith in myself, God, the process and others.

At times, I have felt as if I was completing specific stages of growth; adolescence, puberty, young adulthood until I felt as if I was finally growing up and becoming an adult. Imagine that! The metaphor that has meaning for me is The Phoenix Rising. Coming into my own means clearing away all of who I am not so the real Me can fully emerge to fulfill my life purpose and live my destiny. It feels like stepping more fully into my own skin. Very powerful and it's an ongoing process that leads to limitless possibilities!!!

Three of my favorite quotes that inspire me to continually be a participant in my life rather than a spectator:

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body,but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming -- whoo hoo-- What a Ride!" Attributed to Bill McKenna, Anonymous and in a Nissan ad.

"When we come to the edge of all the light we have

And must take a step into the darkness of the unknown

We must believe one of two things

Either we will find something firm to stand on

Or, we will be taught to fly."

-Richard Bach, Jonathon Livingston Seagull

"If you can't, you must. If you must, you can". Anthony Robbins