Its A Brand New Day

Waking up one day and realizing your world just isn't working for you is the first step into an incredibly exciting new journey. That awakening is to be the first of many. Maybe you've been reading self improvement books and feeling like something is missing. That's a sure sign your life may be changing, especially if you are beginning to question your own spirit.

Have you listened to yourself lately? I mean really listened? Did you hear anything? Maybe your inner voice has been quiet and suppressed for so long it forgot how to speak. Maybe it really has wanted to speak but hasn't been given permission.

Recently I saw the result of a study on one of the prime-time news shows. The study showed that by the time a child is five years old, that child will have been told "No!" over 100,000 times! What are the ramifications of this? Just imagine. A child's only job is to just be who they are. That's it! Can you imagine that if 9 times out of 10, the child was just being him/herself and was told "No."? Eventually the child internalizes this simple word into the understanding that being the self is not okay.

The painful truth is that most of society has been raised this way. What does it mean when this child becomes an adult? That adult is shut off from his/her spirit and is living life according to someone else's rules, limitations, ideas, parameters and belief systems. This adult may be unable to make decisions without consulting others, looking to others to make the decisions for them.

This is where that underlying word "No!" setup the outside authority figure that the adult still looks for today. He/she doesn't realize, and was never really taught, that when you become an adult you also become your own authority figure. That may be an implied belief at 18. "You're an adult now and you have to make your own decisions," the 18 year old is told. This statement, however, does not include the words, "You no longer require our (parents') permission. You are your own authority now." Wow, wouldn't that have been nice if it had been spelled out like that. Unfortunately we take some of that authority and dump it into doing things that we've always wanted to do externally, like drinking, partying and more.

But, how much of that is a rebellion and how much is remembering your spirit and the inner truth of your being? It gives you something to think about.

Maybe you've never rebelled. Many women suffer from the "good girl" syndrome. This may be the worst offender in the case against remembering your spirit and inner truth. The good girl syndrome is so deeply ingrained that the child seemingly lives to please others. Others are the priority, and the self doesn't really matter. In fact, it feels as though the self doesn't even exist. It's been so long since the self had a chance to speak that there is virtually no sense of self left at all. All those times being told "No!" have accumulated into a pliable body, a seeming automaton, a robot who is only here to serve others. Sound familiar?

Is it any wonder why so many people are searching for assistance in this day and age? The book industry is loaded with self-help books. There is a growing discomfort within this world of robots. Like Robin Williams in Bicentennial Man, there is a growing desire within our own lives that makes us stop and say, "Wait a minute, this is not enough for me. I have a voice and somewhere deep down inside of me, I have a self, and it's time I found out who that is."

Being a robot no longer works for us once we have that initial awareness, that one little light bulb that turns on inside that says, "There must be something more to my life than this." That one little sentence begins a domino effect inside, tumbling down the building blocks of denial that formulated the structure of our lives at such a young age.

Once this crumbling begins, it truly is a 'brand new day.' The world begins to look different and feel different. That's because you are different. You asked a question and found a voice. Now is the time to begin the search to find your self. It's in there somewhere, underneath all those denial blocks, limitations, boundaries and belief systems. A self is waiting to be born!

Remember, our parents always did the best they could with what they knew how to do. If they had been raised any differently themselves, then they would have raised you differently, but they weren't. So, there's no blame here, plain and simple. It's just finally time to start breaking the generational family patterning. It starts with you.

Your questioning and questing breaks the chain. You know that once you remember your self, you will pass a new way of being onto your children. As you grow, learn and discover your self, you can't help but share that new expression with others. Remember to welcome your self to this world. Remember that it truly is OK to just be your SELF!

© 2001 Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster is an Intuitive Counselor who assists clients to create extraordinary transformations in their everyday lives. Her work is uplifting, empowering and success-oriented. You can visit Jodie's website at http://www.illuminationsnetwork.com for further information and to schedule a private intuitive session. You can also look for weekly updates to her blog at: http://intuitiveinnovations.blogspot.com

P ublisher's Guidelines: You may freely publish this article online, in email newsletters, or in print so long as the resource box and byline are in tact. Author would appreciate a notification, but that is optional.

In The News:

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/movies/10expr.html%3Fref%3Dartscid=1255039742ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNHdZkxBKocUsR8BtSjeapOErGlbNQimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=jcKdmdcxPAsJimgurl=graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/10/10/movies/10express.xlarge1.jpg width=80 height=42 alt= border=1brfont size=-2New York Times/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.canada.com/surreynow/news/whatson/story.html%3Fid%3Dd1e67b7b-a2d4-47fd-a143-e4b599cfc116cid=1255039742ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNHeOFUkr2W3sHz7NNAAD8PD620opQA ball of binspirational/b predictability/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fSurrey Now,nbsp; Canadanbsp;-/font nobrOct 10, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1b.../b Gary Fleder#39;s extensive use of close-ups. bInspirational/b? Check. Predictable? Yep. But The Express is a safe bet for sports fans and non-cynics alike./fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.dailyherald.com/story/%3Fid%3D241604cid=1255039742ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNEW7FqZzAZyf2nEpp1MNM37BNO8vAFootball drama a genuine binspirational/b tale/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrChicago Daily Herald/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/tickermaster/listing.cfm%3FtmID%3D2818cid=1255039742ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNE46oZG1_DKbVapWq9ySvhzPkm9gwThe Express/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrBox Office Prophets/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.ecollegetimes.com/news/2008/10/09/Movies/Review.The.Express-3479781.shtmlcid=1255039742ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNE9ycCbQPfsbWlRDdHntcV78ILRXAReview: The Express/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrCollege Times/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://urbanmecca.net/news/%3Fp%3D4278cid=1255039742ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNEm6FPV5fJFm-_k6i_TcaXaqyF1dgnobrUrbanMecca/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/custom/today/bal-to.express10oct10,0,3109342.storycid=1255039742ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNHzbTb8Q1ZTTYrTHj6H07RDRkLM2AnobrBaltimore Sun/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1255039742hl=ennobrall 459 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20081011/LIFE/810110312/1004cid=0ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNEZrxlt7CGlrI09Uys3X3j8HvQ_CgMarriage supporters#39; fundraiser brings binspirational/b film b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fSioux Falls Argus Leader,nbsp;SDnbsp;-/font nobr8 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Moviegoers can credit a group interested in promoting healthy marriages for bringing the binspirational/b movie quot;Fireproofquot; to Sioux Falls for a weeklong b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/swerve/story.html%3Fid%3D0982c085-420c-4b1d-a095-2f284714da1ccid=0ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNGGis3Om2zcOJN287rhxDy_X2Bo6wimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=82qOA1jEwUEJimgurl=a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/idl/cahr/20081010/128316-46511.jpg%3Fsize%3Dl width=80 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Calgary Herald/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/swerve/story.html%3Fid%3D0982c085-420c-4b1d-a095-2f284714da1ccid=0ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNGGis3Om2zcOJN287rhxDy_X2Bo6wA new generation of icky, angsty, binspirational/b books for teens b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fCalgary Herald,nbsp; Canadanbsp;-/font nobrOct 10, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Sure, they text and they Twitter and they play way too much Wii. But all those twitchy, tormented adolescent souls are still able to lose--and then b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/swerve/story.html%3Fid%3D4f48bffb-c488-47e1-99bc-032d457c352ecid=0ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNEIPMSUNlm46-AUM3_WmBintV2xfwA new generation of icky, angsty, binspirational/b books for teens b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fCalgary Herald,nbsp; Canadanbsp;-/font nobrOct 10, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1by Hunter S. Thompson In high school my best buddy Gavin and I fancied ourselves literary snobs. We read Dostoevsky--he was our favourite--and Tolstoy and b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/3748208._Inspirational__Blackburn_mum_of_seven_dies__34/cid=1256390049ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNFVJ_-f7-J7cSsg7us4P08EPXZ6fg#39;bInspirational/b#39; Blackburn mum-of-seven dies, 34/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fLancashire Telegraph,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr8 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Catherine Pye » Four weeks ago she was given six months to live. Charmaine had drawn up a wish list of things she wanted to do with her final days, b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.stjohns.edu/academics/pr_aca_081010.stjcid=0ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNGK9J8NB4HxhfhQyrlNSy60W6KE1wbInspirational/b Speaker Teaches Students the Value of “Zing!”/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fSt. John's University,nbsp;NYnbsp;-/font nobrOct 10, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1b.../b Your Influence and was featured in the motivational speaker compilation Lessons from the Road: bInspirational/b Insights by Leading Speakers in Education. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/without-quarter-my-pocket-new/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B7C5AD198-AAD6-412F-ADE8-009ABF5FBDE2%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1255491471ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNFEBKddJ7QU-P2FUUvgNQTAb5c33g#39;Without a Quarter in My Pocket#39;: New Memoir Chronicles Cuban b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobrOct 8, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1SALEM, Ill., Oct 08, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Dr. Secundino E. Rubio#39;s life is a series of binspirational/b stories. From his childhood in pre-Castro b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://chattahbox.com/health/2008/10/06/support-continues-for-breast-cancer-awareness-month/cid=1255048041ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNFnk85rYf1_LThJq8KTeYMRvhtIkgimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=jUff9s7ht-AJimgurl=www.chattahbox.com/images/breast_cancer_awareness_push.jpg width=62 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2ChattahBox/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/comment/columnists/lifestyle-columnists/kaye-adams/2008/10/11/pink-is-back-and-it-s-the-colour-of-courage-and-beating-breast-cancer-86908-20793365/cid=1255048041ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNEIT40kErH_vTBJs1upzRDeu8j--gPink Is Back And It#39;s The Colour Of Courage And Beating Breast Cancer/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fGlasgow Daily Record,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr10 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1It is the colour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a brilliant concept which puts breast cancer high on the public agenda but in a positive, binspirational/b b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20081010/LIVING/81009025/1004cid=1255048041ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNGTLvh74HLWKe-ZWAASTCVxg3jK-gFight against breast cancer/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrBurlingtonFreePress.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1255048041hl=ennobrall 88 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jFR4b_x9lQIQO8tJg_TmOKWyq_JAcid=1255308338ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNHFzmXQJy24ZBck6MxcVasTBlMcbgDemure look for binspirational/b Helen/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe Press Associationnbsp;-/font nobrOct 8, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Actress Dame Helen Mirren looked unusually demure when she collected an award for her fashion sense. Dame Helen, who is known for her love of revealing b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.packetonline.com/articles/2008/10/09/windsor_hights_herald/your_views/doc48ee728cb4bc7195032603.txtcid=0ei=DcvwSKOkA6CQ6AO2qMGiAwusg=AFQjCNGMUXXV7boL2KBYmK1dtR2DpwULKAConcert event was binspirational/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fPacket Online,nbsp;NJnbsp;-/font nobrOct 9, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Having the world-renowned recorder player from the Netherlands, Marion Verbruggen, appear the Slowdown Café in Hightstown in a concert with full proceeds to b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
inspirational - Google News

Listening to Your Inner Voice May Save Your Life

"I was washing my breakfast dishes one morning when it... Read More

In Tall Grass

My best friend, Ryan, told me last night he got... Read More

Dream Lover

Direct Answers - Column for the week of September 1,... Read More

The Road Not Taken

Direct Answers - Column for the week of November 24,... Read More

Look Out Any Window

Over my extended Thanksgiving weekend I took some time to... Read More

Food for Thought

We all love picnics. They represent a fun time as... Read More

The Dead

Direct Answers - Column for the week of February 9,... Read More

The Emmaus Journal ~ Quietness

The Emmaus Journal QuietnessAs a state of being, quietness is... Read More

Material Girl

Direct Answers - Column for the week of December 16,... Read More

Fail Your Way To The Top

Have you had a challenging day or week? Feel a... Read More

How to Scare Fear Out of Your Life

A reader asks: "Many times in my life I have... Read More

Getting Past Those Blah Days

Get It OutWhen something is bothering you, whether be a... Read More

How To Deal With Rejection

Rejection! Who hasn't experienced the horrible feeling of being rejected?... Read More

Nuthin but Blue Skies

"Welcome to Canada," Ken shouted to me over the roar... Read More

Believe In Yourself

Diana is a wonderful person with a great personality and... Read More

The Red Ribbon

Everyone wants a blue ribbon. Blue. First place. The best.... Read More

From The Ashes

The man plopped down on his chair, defeated.His father's maxims... Read More

The Dot

We have all grown up in an age where exploration... Read More

Why Buddhism Succeeds - The Right Thing is the Thing to do

The ongoing teachings are exemplified in an understanding and execution... Read More

The Art of Letting Go

It has been six months since I left the corporate... Read More

Vistas

The other day I found myself frustrated with the slow... Read More

Giving It Your Best - The William Hung American Idol Success Story

Never underestimate the power that comes from following your passion.... Read More

Consulting Your Soul

Recently I approached a traffic light where a man stood... Read More

The Miracle of Personal Development

One day Mr. Shoaff said, "Jim, if you want to... Read More

Its Not Always About the Benjamins, Baby

Often when I receive emails from this list with folks,... Read More