The risk to blossom

Is there anyone who doesn’t like goodie bags? Doesn’t everyone want to know what’s inside, or is it just me?
Last week I finished my NLP training and we all got a goodie bag in which everyone had put a little something that expressed their appreciation. And lucky me, I have also been assisting in the practitioner training that ended this past weekend. So, I got another goodie bag!

I’d like to share something that one of them wrote, because it’s so true for me. This person told me that this quote made her think of me.

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
Anaïs Nino

And that’s exactly how it felt for me when I decided to be really myself, in my own masters group, as well as in this practitioner group, as well as in the rest of my life. Staying tight in my bud had not done anything for me so far. If I ever wanted something to change, I had to take the risk to blossom. And doing that has been so freeing. I finally feel I’m on my way to become the person I’ve always been, but that never had the chance to blossom. I never gave myself a real chance because I was just so afraid of what might happen, of getting hurt.

Now I realize that allowing myself to be fully and completely me, is not just making myself vulnerable with the risk of getting hurt, but also the only way to real and complete happiness. Yes, I might get hurt and I’m a grown woman and more than capable to handle that. I lose much more when I try to hide myself in an attempt to protect myself from getting hurt, because it really isn’t more than an illusion anyway. I just hurt myself even more than anyone else possibly could. Opening up may have a possible risk that of getting hurt, but the love and happiness you get from it is way, way bigger.

I’m grateful for all the people I met in my own training and in the practitioner that created this environment in which I felt safe enough to take this risk. That they recognized me, encouraged me and let me know that in my own process I was helping them as well.

And last but not least, I want to thank my dear husband Matthijs for seeing me for who I really am from the very first moment we met and for encouraging and supporting me every step on my way to fully bloom.