Dare To Dance Outside The Lines

Just a short post today. A lot of things have been happening in my life that seem to have no rhyme or reason. Of course, I know that's not true but at times doubt can creep in if I am not careful to guard my thoughts.

Last night I was thinking about my tendency to conform in my personal life. Have you ever considered just giving yourself permission to break the rules, to move outside the boundaries of looking at things. Just for a moment, forget about practical, realistic ideas. Dare to go beyond the self-censorship that comes from worrying what people think.

We can all probably think of times where we really wanted to stretch our wings, whether it be personally or professionally. I know I can. In relationships, especially - I tend to do what everyone expects.

I'm not sure why, maybe because I take so many risks in other areas of my life or maybe because I grew up watching my parents who seemed to have the perfect relationship, where there was no drama, nothing out of the ordinary just a lot of love. Whatever the reason, it has caused me to be in some situations that I probably should have looked twice at before getting involved. And I'm not just talking about romantic relationships but friendships as well. Often times, we give someone in our life too much power and keep them around much longer than they should be. Or we stay in a job that is no longer benefiting us as it once was.

Now I am not saying that we should simply dismiss how our actions and decisions affect other people in our lives, but I am suggesting that taking a long look at whether or not we are shortchanging ourselves in order to please others might be in order.

This morning, I have decided that I am cleaning house. Period. I often err on the side of being "too nice" and not being selfish enough to take care of me when I need to be taken care of. This has been a glaring problem this past year. As a result, my energy has been drained and my focus blurred on what I really want for my life.

I am ridding myself of negativity whether it be a person or a responsibility that I have taken on to make someone else happy. I am making a conscious choice to reduce my circle to exclude those with ulterior motives, those who seek only to take and not give, and those who are content to keep things status quo in their own lives.

Because when you follow your heart and dismiss unimportant "shoulds," you open the door to creative, spiritual and personal breakthroughs.

Today, I choose to dance outside the lines.