Taking Up Space

It was 4 in the morning. I woke again with the familiar ache in my heart. A physical pain - tension, tightness, an inner pressure.

For years I asked myself, what is this? Why does this come up, night after night? Waking each day with a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach.

What part of me needs healing, holding? What is this deep longing inviting me into? Everything in me yearned to know.

This is what a calling feels like.

An insistent knowing in your heart and in your bones that what you’re living is not it. That there’s more you came here to do. That it matters.

And yet our yearning is met by a sometimes equal and opposite resistance, holding back, holding on.

Fear. What if it’s not real? What if I’m not good enough? What if it’s not safe? What if I’m rejected? What if no one sees me, hears me, gets me? What if I fail?

Can I really trust myself? Can I really take up space? Am I ready to truly commit to my knowing? Invest all my energies in it.

This push and pull can be excruciating. So much of the world is telling us to stay small, fit in, ignore these ‘dreams’.

But what if it does matter? What if there is something you came to do, someone you came to be?

And that you taking up space to share your essence and shine your light boldly and brightly, however imperfectly, is the only thing that will ease that ache.

It was for me.

How is it for you to take up space? To own your throne? To claim your greatness?

We’ve been told to keep our heads down. To be modest, not arrogant. To be retiring, not to brag. To listen, not speak, unless invited to.

This is especially strong for women. (Heart-centred, sensitive men too :-)

In this video, I share the powerful poems that pulled me towards my longing to give my gifts (without even knowing what they were), and gave me a huge boost to breakthrough my (significant!) resistance to taking up space.

There was a magic moment when a huge clap of thunder came through at just the right time as I spoke the first poem. Wow! Chills!!

I also announce a new and special opportunity to go deeper into exploring how poetry can support you to take up space.

Join me for The Poetry Breakthrough Experience: 5 days to ignite your visibility, starting Monday 21 June.

Find out more and register for this free experience here.

This was delivered live inside my free Visibility for Visionary Leaders Facebook group. Click here to join the conversation and access our weekly live trainings.