Isn’t it funny how so many of us look to someone else to give us permission to do something different, to be something different or to have something different? I know it stems from our childhoods – seeking approval from our parents. And by the time we become adults, that need to be approved of is hard wired into us.
Think about it. Even once we are working, what we do in our jobs depends on someone in a more senior position judging what we do as being OK, not OK, or exceptional.
The same in all our relationships. To fit into a group, they need to ‘approve’ of who we are, what we do, what we believe, how we behave, in order to fit in.
And when we want to be, do or have something different to what the boss wants or what our family or friends want, we don’t follow through because we don’t think they would approve. We imaginably look for their permission to step outside the box that we find ourselves in, assume we won’t ever receive it, so then we make a decision to stay as we are.
But I’d like to challenge that.
I’d like us all to feel empowered to be, to do and to have what it is that our hearts desire by giving ourselves the approval and permission that we seek.
One of my coaching mentors once said:
If what you desire is safe for you, safe for others – that is, it does not harm to anyone else – and safe for the planet, then you have permission.
And I think that’s great criteria against which to test the changes you want to make for your life.
If what you desire is safe for you, safe for others, and is safe for the planet, then you don’t need anyone else’s permission!
Think about it. Get those words down deep inside of you.
You don’t need anyone else’s permission.
You can give yourself permission.
Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone will like the changes you are making – but just because someone doesn’t like something you are doing, it does not mean you are doing them harm. Their stance on whether they like or don’t like something you are doing is a choice. Their choice.
Your choice is about making changes that affect your life.
You are the master of your own destiny and only you can give yourself permission to pursue a destiny that you would truly love.
