If you’d have asked me five years ago if I thought I would be sharing my writing, personal thoughts, and perspective in a public space such as this, my answer would have been a hard no. Not because it wasn’t something I desired to do but more so because I didn’t believe I could.
Prior to 2019, I existed in a reality riddled with insecurities, fear, and an intense need for external validation. I was COMPLETELY disconnected from my inner Self and my innate power within. Because of this disconnection, I had no sense of awareness of the active role I played in creating what I knew to be my reality.
Social media, in particular Instagram, was a place that fed my insecurities and nurtured my toxic habit of comparison, pulling me deeper and deeper into the depths of depression, feelings of not-enoughness, and people-pleasing behaviors.
As I scrolled through my feed one night, I noticed for the first time an intense feeling of tension building up in my body. With each flick of my thumb, the tension increased, and I started feeling worse and worse about myself. Out of seemingly nowhere, I heard the whisper of a voice say, “You don’t have to be on here if it makes you feel this way.”
That was the night I decided to delete my Instagram. This wasn’t a planned, logical decision; it was an intuitive one guided by my Soul. This little whisper gave me something I forgot existed—my freedom of choice. And in that moment, the clarity I gleaned led me to listen to my inner knowing and make the empowered decision to remove the biggest distraction and source of disconnection in my life at that time.
This one decision turned into a 3.5-year hiatus from Instagram, and it completely changed my life. And my life changed because I CHOSE to follow my truth and not someone else’s. Since that transformative night, I have been navigating a journey of self-discovery in a search for truth…MY truth. Continuing to listen to the wisdom of my inner knowing has led me to people, places, and experiences I could have never imagined for myself.
I believe that our spiritual, healing, self-discovery, or any other journey we embark on ultimately leads us toward the truth of rediscovering who we really are, why we are here, and how we can be of service to the collective. But to uncover this truth, we must be willing to be courageous, surrender to the unknown, and exercise our innate power by standing in our God-given gift of choice.
Question for Contemplation:
What is an empowered decision you’ve made, and how did it affect the trajectory of your life?
I love this! The journey of self discovery is continual. Never stop.
I don't like social media. If it weren't for business I would do without it. Congrats to you on noticing it's impact and making a change.
Such a powerful reminder to be empowered by our choices. Thank you for sharing this!