Photo Credit: Unsplash/Sara Kurfess
By Terez Hartmann
What if the storms of life are actually invitations to experience a higher and more consistent level of peace, joy, and freedom than you have ever tasted before?
Hurricane season is just coming to an end in “The Sunshine State,” and over the past two months, I started to wonder if we accidentally stepped into a portal that transported all of Florida to Seattle. Has the weather been influencing our mood or is our mood influencing the weather? Though this is an interesting brain-twister to contemplate, I soon realized that the most important questions to ask myself are: “How can I feel better now?” and “How can I create my own sunshine?”
With this, below are some of the answers, insights, and processes I discovered that have (and are) helping me continue to create my own sunshine. While there is no one-size-fits-all formula for every individual or unique experience, it is my hope that these ideas serve as catalysts to help you find your OWN path to connecting with YOUR sunshine state.
The Sun Will Shine Again
First of all, if you are reading this article right now, know that you have already taken a step toward creating your own sunshine, and that congratulations are in order! Choosing to do whatever it takes to shift your focus when storms have been the order of the day really is one of the most challenging things a human can do, so even being able to feel good for 5 minutes more a day really is a feat worth celebrating. Though I am always a proponent of ease and flow, when “negative” momentum has had the opportunity to really build to a category 5 storm level, it truly does take some effort to slow the wheel of funkiness down and start choosing a new direction.
Think about it this way: You fell hard and managed to get a pretty big gash on your leg. You treat your wound and put a bandage on it to help it heal, but only a few days later you manage to rub your leg up against something and…Ouch! It hurts again, and colorful metaphors ensue. Has life turned against you and all hell, fire, and brimstone rained down upon your immortal soul? Uh, no. You just have a boo-boo that is still fresh, so when you rub up against it early on in the healing process, it still smarts a little; that’s all. End result: If you don’t get back to bliss in five seconds flat or maintain your new feel-good groove for as long as you would like, it really is both okay and normal. Give yourself a break, know that you are moving forward and that with each passing day, as you continue to make the courageous choice of doing the best you can to look for the light, the sun will shine again for you.
What can you do to be kind and good to yourself right now?
Come Rain or Come Shine
While it is wonderful to celebrate the sunshine in whatever form it comes, there is a difference between celebrating it and clinging to it. At the same time, you cannot call the sun to you by cursing the rain. There is always a purpose for the rain and storms of life, whether you recognize it in the moment or not, so the sooner you stop resisting the rain and decide to embrace it, the sooner you get to open yourself up to the gifts it has to share with you, including the sun that lays waiting for you behind the clouds.
One of the greatest endowments of extended periods of rain or pain is that it helps you to recognize patterns of resistance, to reach a point that compels you to make new decisions, and to resolve that you are going to find a way to feel good—no matter what. We humans have been reaching for greater and greater levels of personal freedom since the moment we opened our primordial eyes, so it is no accident that life continues to challenge us to stop basing our sense of happiness and self-worth on what happens “out there,” but to once and for all, live and love unconditionally…
…For to be able to find that still, clear place within your own being that can and will sustain you through everything, without needing anyone or anything to validate you ever again, is truly the ultimate experience of personal freedom. And when you no longer need the sun to shine for you, have you noticed that this is when it does? Here comes the sun!
What ideas or things can you focus upon that give you a sense of peace and well-being right now?
I Can See Clearly Now!
Now that you’ve started to treat yourself with gentle loving care and focus upon the things that consistently raise your spirits, glimmers of light are starting to peek out! First they come in the form of happier, lighter feelings. Next, fun little “signs” become apparent to let you know you are on the right track, and feel-good ideas begin wafting in. After sustaining this for a day or two, you also notice subtle changes in the world around you, that loose ends are starting to get tied and things are starting to move again. Rather than just chalk it up to luck, congratulate yourself for knowing that YOU did that, and milk every little victory every way you can!
Take note of each sparkle of light as you notice it (note any and every good thing that happens for you) and keep a list of some kind each day. Reread it before bedtime and/or when you awaken the next day to remind yourself that you have already started creating positive momentum, and continue to add to this list daily. The more sunshine you find, the more the sun will continue to shine!
What glimmers of light did I experience today?
The Bottom Line on Creating Your OWN Sunshine
What if the storms of life are actually invitations to experience a higher and more consistent level of peace, joy, and freedom than you have ever tasted before? What if you, I, and all who are ready are actually being set up to embrace a whole new way of living and being that has the power to transform much of the world as we know it in remarkable ways? What if creating your own sunshine and connecting with a light without end really IS your true destiny after all?
Let the sun shine; let the sunshine in.
Terez “Firewoman” Hartmann,“Your catalyst for all things Fab-YOU-lous,” is the author of Allowing Your Success!, a proud contributing author of Transform Your Life! book one and two, a professional Keynote Speaker/Workshop Facilitator, Singer-Songwriter/Recording Artist, “Allowing Adventures!” & “Savor Vacation” Facilitator, and true Renaissance Woman, and Visionary. She keeps her fire lit by embracing and promoting a lifestyle of “Allowing,” and by using creative expression to elevate and ignite the human spirit, a passion that she shares with her husband, soul-mate and creative partner of over 15 years, John Victor Hartmann. Together they share “Allowing TRUE LOVE” workshops and experiences designed to help others attract, allow, and maintain extraordinary relationships, and create custom jingles and voice-overs in their studio, THE Creativity Express. Visit: http://www.TerezFirewoman.com