LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

Have you ever shared an emotion with some one?

Sure we all have right?

But have you shared an emotion with some one when you were feeling down and vulnerable and then when they come back to you with soft suggestions and thoughts to help you through?

You minimize your own emotions and say something like "oh it's not so bad" .. or "this will pass"?

I think we do it all the time. I think people assume that if they are vulnerable to another person that they may be perceived as weak.

Is this true?

Is the world so wrapped up on protecting itself that common normal emotions, like pain, abandonment, fears, anxieties or a thought that comes springing up from seemingly no where can be expressed and then quickly hidden away in the deep recesses of our minds?

Why is that?

I have a saying. I've used it often in my own life. It's simple and I'm sure you all may have heard it before ... "Don't mistake kindness for weakness"....

Doesn't that apply to everybody?

I mean, when we hurt or we share something with another human being, who will listen and help us to feel better.

Isn't that a good thing?

I mean, that's when the real growth within ourselves starts.

How?

Because we're being honest about what we feel on the inside. And when we're honest with someone else, it helps us to be more honest with ourselves ... I mean this is what living is all about isn't it?

Having some one to talk to?

A friend or even sometimes a perfect stranger. After all a well chosen perfect stranger can often times offer up the best advise ever.

Want to know why?

Because they have YOU standing in front of them, as a clean slate. They know nothing of your mistakes in life, who you were, what you've accomplished or not accomplished for that matter. All they see is YOU ... What I'm saying, before I turn in today, is that in those weakest moments ... where we want to turn the world off and just let go of all the bad things we've been through or our fears of what may or may not come, THAT is when we have the greatest opportunity in life to grow ... because that's the time to examine why we feel in such a way. It may hurt some. True. But I'll tell you this. It will hurt much more to hide not only from opening up to others, but from yourself as well.

So who do you talk to?

You can talk to a trusted friend! People have many outlets in life to share with others how they truly feel. Initially you may experience some anxiety because you may feel that some one may not listen to you or maybe you wont' be accepted. I know how you feel.

How did I get past it?

Practice. By degrees I began opening up to expressing things through select friends. And little by little the feeling of anxiety passed and it was replaced with a sense of confidence.

Who not to talk to?

Anyone who would minimize knowingly or unknowingly how you feel ...

Who are they?

You'll know ... because you won't feel heard or understood.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Sometimes we have been hurt and find it difficult to trust anyone, even our friends. We need to find a way to trust again. Friends should be people with whom we can share our fears and secrets and whom we can trust to be there when we need them. Building trust back depends on quality time spent together, not on mindless quotes we see in a book.

Instructions

Acknowledge your fear of intimacy and share with your friend how you feel. Sometimes telling about your fear opens you up to a new level of trust that may give unexpected results. You may find empathy from your friend, who will make it easier to get over your fear.

Give a little at a time by telling a friend a small secret and see if you are quoted back from another person. If so, then you know that you cannot trust that person. If your secret stays safe, then give a little more. It's all right to test people and let them earn your trust.

Watch others whom you admire to learn how they give their trust away. You may have had a bad experience as a child and find yourself unable to give voice to the problem you are having with making and trusting friends. You can learn by emulating others.

Count your blessings. Remember the times when a friend came through for you. Focus on the people in your life who did not let you down. You may find that people are more trustworthy than you imagined, making it a little easier to begin trusting your friends again.