Thoughts on a Snow Covered Day

"With true strength, you feel you have the courage to open yourself up to life and all its possibilites. You are willing to take risks, be seen, go for what you want. You experience your mind as bright and intense and your vision sharp and clear. There is no hesitation, no hanging back, no ambivalence." --Byron Brown

Today on this first day of Feburary, the sun is shining on the snow and I'm happily sipping my coffee while my son plays in the next room. The beauty of this life is a blessing and I am thankful for all of it. I remember times when I was lonely, afraid, sick, desperate and full of anxiety. But today is not one of those days! I'm here in the moment sharing my mind and my heart with....well, maybe only God and my husband....but that's okay. Today I want to share some thoughts about risks and the courage to be seen.

I decided to work from home several months ago, which so far has been a fantastic decision. In the comfy office where I nest, I feel inspired to create, to imagine and to give myself permission to learn technical skills. However, I still struggle with the concept of risk taking and "being seen". The harsh judge inside me is relentless in telling me that the product I create is silly and frivolous and not good enough to be presented to the public. During conversations with my loved ones and friends, it's always easier to talk about events or places, children, problems or pets, and difficult to broach the life-changing event of my current project. I'd like to avoid sharing things that I think others expect to hear (such as information related to sales). Instead, I'd simply say that right now, the benefit of taking this risk is that it requires my willingness to step out of my comfort zone to learn new skills, to reach out to the community, to create every day, and to believe, as Will does in Shakespeare in Love, when he says, "it all works out in the end. I don't know how, but it does."