Yesterday in my Sunday class, we were asked two questions. “Where are you in full ownership of your life, and where are you not?”
I found the first question to be the easier of the two to answer. The second one was more difficult because it required vulnerability to answer.
I wrote that the second question was hard for me to answer because growing up, I not only took ownership of what was mine, but as an empath I took ownership of things that weren’t mine too. (Whether you’re adopted or not, this is something that many have experienced.) This was hard for me to examine. For so long I carried around other people’s feelings from situations that didn’t even involve me. Guilt, shame, battles that weren’t mine, decisions that weren’t mine, the list was endless. The number of times I would apologize on other people’s behalf, or I would apologize to someone because they had tried to pass their baggage onto me and I felt like I was the one who needed to apologize is a hard concept for me to examine too. It was a foreign concept to me when I discovered that I didn’t have to carry things that weren’t mine. “I’m allowed to put something down that isn’t mine?” What a life changing discovery.
I also realized that I need to do better with taking ownership of my accomplishments. I am great at taking ownership of what I feel I need to improve on, and while growth is obviously important, so aren’t the victories along the way; No matter the size.
As we enter this new week, I encourage you to ask yourself the same questions, and I encourage you to share an accomplishment either here in the comments or with someone you love.