What is one reference (article, video, speech, quote..) you often revisit as a gentle reminder to stay true to who you are?
When I need a gentle reminder that, quite possibly, I am the only thing standing in my way, I re-read an article titled, “You Have Permission.”
I read the article years ago, and the message was so powerful it nearly knocked me off my feet. Since then, I have read and re-read the words transcribed by Tash Mitch - sometimes nodding my head along with the message, & sometimes anxiously wondering “is this really true?”
Before sharing the article with you, I clicked the link saved in my bookmarks only to discover the article has been taken down. What an excellent opportunity to practice trust; to take a breath, remind myself that I already know, and share a message with you that has already stained my heart with deep compassion & motivation.
The following is my interpretation of Tash Mitch’s original article: You Have Permission.
I invite you to take a breath, pause your worries & unending questions about “how,” & consider your answer is already in front of you. You have permission to follow what you already know to be true; you have permission to live your full, authentic life.
You have permission to dream wild dreams; to tune into that firey passion that aches in your chest, and run with it in full trust.
You have permission to be scared; to feel overwhelmed, or worried, or intimidated, or uncertain
You have permission to be absolutely confident in yourself; in your decisions, and skills and current direction.
You have permission to admit fault; to unapologetically ask for support, to reference your teachers, to reply “I don’t know.”
You have permission to love out loud; You have permission to dance on the street, to sing a cheerful hello to the target cashier, to smile without reason - simply because that is your current expression.
You have permission to change your mind to follow what feels right today, even if it differs from that which you predicted last week or last year or when you planned your life at age 15.
You have permission to pause. You have permission to rest. You are enough, already, regardless.
You have permission to work really hard on something not everyone may see as important, or logical because you are passionate, & alive, & you know what feels crucial to your life expression.
You have permission to begin again and again and again and again and again.
You have permission to let good enough, be good enough. To stay a while. To realize your current is not your ultimate. To be content, rather than chase someone else’s dream.
You have permission to demand your value, to take up space, to know your worth & to let go of those who do not.
You have permission to mourn over a forgotten dream, or an unsuiting plan; over the outcome from a decision you made or your current experience if it is not what you hoped it to be.
You have permission to feel sad.
You have permission to go sledding alone at 34, to pick up ice skating at age 50, to change careers two months into the beginning of your first
You have permission to do what you love. To be someone you love. To pursue a life you truly, deeply love.
You have permission to savor every minute, or wish some moments away.
You have permission to be absolutely content with your current life, just as it is. You also have permission to pursue another.
If you were waiting for someone to tell you these words; if you were waiting for a sign or a milestone. For another dollar or another year passed: Maybe, just maybe, this is it.
Align, and fully experience your authentic life.
Right now, or tomorrow, or next year.
You have permission.
