1) Introduce yourself! What’s your name and where are you from? Share anything you like about your own intimacy journey.
Hello, Everyone. Thank you for sharing your stories and discoveries. I’m Misty from Austin. I’m 32, never married, with a myriad of dating experiences and LTRs (1-3yrs). Recently, I have felt a shift in my intimacy journey. I have realized, partially thorough this class, that I have spent all of my past dating and living publicly with a well-rehearsed persona. My persona was finely crafted both to protect me, as well as, attempt to soak up as much validation humanly possible.
A few months ago I heard Ken speak on Arielle Ford’s podcast, Big Love, and I resonated with everything he said. I’m really to show up in the world as my TRUE SELF, and I believe it’s time to shed the persona, discover who I truly am, and live in reality. I’m also using Byron Katie, Abraham, Louise Hay, and many more to help build my self-esteem and LOVE for myself. As Ken puts, I’m starting to CHERISH my gifts and my true nature. It’s time to come out of hiding….
2)Are you beginning to get a basic sense of what some of your own core gifts may be? What are you seeing?
I have had two come up that deeply resonate with me.
#1) I have a very tender heart. As a child, my family viewed this as a weakness, and they worked hard to make me more “street smart”. With one of the exercises in class, I re-discovered this truth about myself. It also helped me recall a multitude of stories that happened to make me “toughen up” and self protect. When people meet me they describe me as strong, and I’ve been strong to hide the true tenderness that’s inside. This is an aspect of myself that I’m desperate to embrace…it’s the key to my femininity…and it’s sorely been locked inside for far too long.
#2) I fall hard and fast. I’m an all or nothing kind of gal. People have always said…Misty, you’re either ON or OFF. When I meet a man that I really connect with, I fall deeply in love very quickly. So, as you can imagine, I’m very protective of this. I put up a lot of barriers and hoops for men to jump through when I really like a guy, and keep the ones that are not really right way past our time. This one, for me, is harder to reconcile. I’m using Bryon Katie’s The Work to help me process my stressful thoughts around this.
3) Do you have any questions?
Hmmmm…not in this moment.
4)What are you most noticing in your life as a result of these ideas, or simply as a result of your own experiences in your dating life?
Results…well…I just released a man from my life that in the past I would have clung to. I felt the wave and thought…WOW! This really isn’t health and I can just lose interest. I did. I look around me and saw several other men (friends, not love interests) who were kind, available and treated me in the way I deserve. By focusing my attention on them, I released the emotional grip of Mr. Almost Right. I am now 100% open and available for LOVE, and I’m willing to let go of anything that is not in 100% alignment with my inner guidance
5) Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I have another class here in Austin on Thursdays so I’m only listening to the calls.
And…I truly appreciate you, Ken, for having this class and helping me FINALLY start to love and cherish all the deepest parts of myself. I love, love, love that you call the tender part of our being- GIFTS, shards of God, and other deeply spiritually connected terms. I love the concept- Out of my greatest pain lies my greatest gifts. For the first time in such a long time, I am truly connecting with JOY. In fact, my learning buddy, Tara, and I both mentioned that we are so conscious of pain and so unaware of JOY. While I know it happens every day, I have never stopped to appreciate a joy, found where it is in my body, and RELISHED it.
Thank you to everyone on the calls…I’m learning so much from you.
Thank you to myself for giving up the resistance to sign up for the forum, as well as, to the idea of a learning buddy. Tara has been a blessing, and this forum has been very helpful. =)