Tag Archives: boundaries

artist, boundaries, wisdom

Boundaries

Boundaries, are you good at keeping yours? I feel lately as if my world has rocked from “attacks” on my boundaries and I find myself evaluating what is real TO ME and what the world expects of me.

As an artist, it’s good to have no boundaries in a creative sense, like children, but as soon as you step out of that zone, a whole other world comes at ya.

boundary
Boundaries

What was ok yesterday might not work today.  I find myself living in a somewhat fluid perception juggling the two worlds, the one of my sacred pursuit of art making, and the world of contraries where people constantly want something from me.

It would be easy to be totally ungrounded and live in la-la land, but that’s avoidance. I have learned that my time is precious and so am I.

Space cadets need not approach….

I can choose what is ok for me, but there is always the guilt factor lurking in the background (along with the inner critic. They are having a party.)

If you speak your truth (without cringing) the world might turn ugly around you. I’ve had some experiences lately so I’m reviewing what is ok and what isn’t.

People don’t like it when you stand in your power.

It’s the world according to them, or no world. I’m just a convenience at that point.

The more I speak up, the easier it gets. I highly recommend it since it makes YOUR world right, and you know how much you can give without guilt. We are trained as children to come second to everyone and everything else, especially women are raised that way,

I might turn out like the comic character Maxine, haha.

Maxine

Some would say she has no filters. Neither do kids, so why not be more like them while including some kindness in the forthright speech? Kindness is free, and it might soften the blow of your truth, BUT some only understand the punch of a two-by-four to the head.

I don’t like to hurt people’s feelings, but I certainly don’t want my own feelings hurt either even if the world thinks it’s ok to step on them.

Anyhow, I will now retreat to my studio and behave like a child again. A child with both feet on the ground and head in the clouds.

I’m learning about boundaries and I’m getting better at shoring them up every day, yay!

Have a great creative weekend.

xo

Maria

P.S. Check out my etsy shop EARTH AND FAERY. Lots of new artsy things in there.

asskickery, inspirational, life, motivational, purpose, transformation

How to know yourself better.

How to know yourself better?  What do you have to do? It is an infinite question for sure, but while we’re living in 3-D dimension there are a few things we can do that give us an idea of where we’re at.

You probably figured this already: it’s all about stretching boundaries.

1. This sounds simplistic, but try something that scares the sh*t out of you. I’m talking about doing something HUGE, like speaking in front of a big group of people, or jumping out of an airplane. Everyone has a different fear level of course. Shock yourself out of inertia.

You probably wonder why scaring the pants off yourself would show you about yourself. It does, though, because you don’t know exactly how you’re going to react. From your reaction you’ll know your strengths and your weaknesses.

Something that once was scary becomes commonplace, and then you move on to the next big stretch.  You don’t have to walk a tightrope across Niagara Falls…. unless you want to.

2.  Become less concerned about what people think and do more of what you love.  Yes, another obvious piece of advice, but how many people actually do this??  Again, it’s about boundaries. Every day has its own boundary: get up, drink coffee, shower, dress, go to work…..come back, chill, undress, sleep. This does not change unless we DECIDE to change. Stretching the boundaries of your routine could be to get up one or two hours earlier, do some meditation, walk in nature, journal, or doing something that makes your spirit soar, whatever it is. Talk about getting your day off to a good start!

Problem is, the rut gets deep, and it’s hard to change the groove, but it’s doable. With determination and a desire to change, you will do it.  Don’t let life get so bad that change is the only choice.

3. Listen to your heart.  Is it whispering about kicking out the discontent of your life?  Are you feeling a great deal of discontent? Well, do something about it!  That inner urge is not wrong, you know. Your sh*t-o-meter is working overtime and trust me, it knows what it’s doing.

Life does not end if you have to change careers, the opposite, in fact.  When you do something that is more aligned with your soul, you will find your joy sky-rocketing.

Fear will be there of course, but stretch those boundaries!  There is a perfect place for you, just as there is for me. Fear of the unknown is a drag, but by doing something different, you learn about yourself.  You might find that your capabilities are amazing! Wouldn’t that be worth a change? Kick the fear aside and do that thing you always wanted to do!

4. Learn something new all the time.  Yeah, that is an easy way to stretch boundaries. One thing leads to another and before you know it, you have a whole new set of tools to use.  Be an insatiable learner!  Many people stop where they think they are experts / teachers, but a true expert keeps on learning.

What would you love to learn today?  You know, THAT THING.

5. Help others. Serving at a soup kitchen is one thing, but how many times have you really listened to the person who needs help?  We tend to barge in and try to fix the problems, but lending a sincere ear is sometimes more difficult than serving up soup.  It means you have to engage with the person on a deeper level, and it can be confrontational. It’s a good way to learn about true compassion and stretching boundaries on a whole other level.

It can be painful to hear about other people’s difficulties, but you learn about yourself in the process. You might not like what you hear, but you gave the other person a chance to be heard. There is a huge lack of that in our society.

Stop being all about yourself.  For starters, begin listening to an important person in your life right now. No excuses.  Is it uncomfortable?  Feel the pain of your boundaries and then get over it.

6. Decide that now is the time to begin.  What is the very first thing you can do right now to improve your life and work on  getting out of the rut?

Do that now.

Then improve the next one.

What boundary can you stretch by taking action now?  That’s where you need to concentrate the most for now.

As you evolve, stretching will become easier and easier.  Ultimately, you look forward to the next challenge.

Go for it.  I know you can do it if you decide to do it. Give a sh*t about your life.

xo

Maria

P.S. I have a new e-course titled Meet Your Intuitive You.  You can read more about it HERE.