I recently listened to a conversation between Oprah Winfrey and Brene Brown, and Oprah said something that spoke so deeply to me. She said, “You cannot live a brave life without disappointing some people.” That statement was like a lightning bolt that struck through me!
I can’t help but think this is where it gets tricky for many of us (including myself) because so many of us are people-pleasers. Yet, I think this means so much more than that! I believe this is deeply ingrained in us and is ancestral. This deep-rooted fear goes back generations—hundreds and thousands of years—where we depended on our tribe to survive. Because this is unconscious, we don’t understand the tremendous impact this has on our choices and our need to please.
Many of us get our sense of identity from outside of ourselves. In fact, it was tradition to address people by their last name first for a very long time. There may even be some cultures that still do this today. So, it makes sense that we perceive our sense of self, based on those outside of us. No wonder we are terrified to disappoint people! But if we want to live bravely and step into our power and truth, we must be willing to disappoint some people. There is no way around it! But there is more. To live a life of meaning and purpose, we must be willing to know thyself. This means getting clear on things! It means living intentionally, with integrity, aligning ourselves to our values, and staying true to them. Living bravely means that we must be willing to let things that no longer support our highest good fall away, finding ways to fill our hearts, and live intentionally.
Here is the link to listen to the full Woven Heart Wisdom, Living Bravely conversation on YouTube recording. https://youtu.be/zxutrNDDc_g?si=_0m-2SaWRap6ynC6