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Wow! This has been quite the week… my 19 year old daughter Madison jumped out of a plane at 10,000 feet above the earth! I have felt relatively weird ever since. I have been a roller coaster of emotions since she landed safely, but what exactly have I been emotional about? I wasn’t quite sure at first, it took me a couple of days of reflection to really get to the root of what was going on. It had nothing to do with fear, in fact, I was completely relaxed and confident when she jumped. I knew without a doubt that not only would she be fine, but she would truly love the experience and be better for having done it.

So what was going on with my emotions? There were a couple of different things going on. First, was the sheer awe that I felt, that it was ME that created such a kick ass kid. I kept thinking back to when she was born and my life at the time was pure chaos and fear. As a young mother of 22 and married to an alcoholic, I really had no clue what I was doing. I think I was a pretty decent mom giving the circumstances I had created for myself, but I fell short often. I was so far from perfect, yet I raised this amazing young woman. I am grateful that she is making healthy choices for her life, and even more grateful that she and I are so very close.

The second thing I was feeling pretty emotional about was seeing Madison live life through the fear instead of letting it hold her back. Most people will never jump out of a plane and that is OK. But too many people will let other fears rule their life. Things like staying stuck in a crappy job they hate because they are too afraid to look for something else. Or people who are too afraid to love because they are stuck in the loss that they once felt. Or the people who resign themselves to mediocre living because they are too afraid to take a risk, or be judged by others. I was one of those people when I was Madison’s age and I now wonder what potential I might have had if I had a Mom like myself to encourage me to take life by the balls! Don’t get me wrong, my parents were not bad parents or people, but they were, and are, very different than me. I wonder if I would have been like Madison… brave.

I told you it was quite the week! lol. I am grateful for who I am today. I am grateful that I wasn’t brave back then because I might not have Madison now! I am grateful that I did discover my personal power and freedom.

Are you still struggling? Have you decided to take life by the balls yet? You might not want to jump out of a plane, but you CAN step outside of the box and create a freakin’ awesome life for yourself, no matter what age you are now! You CAN also “re-parent” yourself. That is to say that you can change how you feel about something that happened when you were a young person. Your “inner child” is still within you, and you can help her/him heal. You can parent you own inner child in able to let go of the past that is holding you back today.

Take a look at the things you are too afraid to do today. Trace them back to the original incident that created the fear. Then have a conversation with yourself about that incident and what it meant. Tell your younger self that is OK, you are allowed to process the feelings, and then let go of them. Tell your younger self that you are allowed to release the pain it caused. Spend some time really nurturing your younger self. Cry, laugh, yell, or do whatever comes to you… then heal.

If you need help letting go of the past that is holding back your present, please reach out to me today. Don’t let another day, week, year, decade go by without truly living and loving life and all it has to offer. Life can be SO magical when you are brave enough to take some risks and step into your own greatness. Get past your past, reach out today, and Live Inspired Now!