There are several chains we create that hold us back, that tie us to those who have hurt us and that we continue to add links to all on our own. We start, early in life, by repeating what we see, what we’re taught, and what we’re told, we start building those chains, adding links to it as we go through life, not realizing that we’re chaining ourselves to our past, to the way things have always been done, before we even get a chance to learn for ourselves what works best for us, and what is right for us. As we go we build resentments to those who have harmed us and by doing so we chain ourselves to them as well. We also build chains to what we think our life should be like, what we think we are owed, or what we think we’ve been promised, holding us back from living a life that is true to who we are today. And yet, we wonder why we feel tired, heavy, unable to move forward, we may be dragging a lot of chains behind us.
Until I stepped into recovery I carried a lot of weight from my past. So much so that it was dragging me back and preventing me from ever moving forward. My chains felt so heavy I didn’t think there was ever any way to break them and set myself free, but there was, it just took a big change to shake myself free of the chains I had been carrying. Breaking the chains meant having to get honest, if looking at my past and asking myself what was actually true, what was learned behavior from those around me or what grudges was I holding that was tying me to people who I was hurt or angry at. It was a lot to sift through, but I did it with the help of others, and, I did as much as I could, knowing I could break more chains as I felt able to, or, became aware of. It’s a lifelong endeavor, as many chains in our lives have been there so long we may not even realize they are there, or, we find comfort in some of them, breaking those chains takes longer and we will only even attempt it when we feel ready, so for me it was about breaking the ones that posed the most significant threat to my progress and freedom.
Letting go, learning new and healthier ways to live my life and taking responsibility for my part of things helped to start breaking some of the chains that had bound me to my past. As I started to break those bonds I started to feel my freedom, and I started to see the promise of a life that had previously only just been a dream, one that I never fully believed I could have. And, my journey to freedom meant I had to learn not to create new chains to replace the ones I was leaving behind, because although I did feel lighter, I also felt unprotected, as I had convinced myself that those chains shielded me from disappointed and pain, but in truth, it had been causing them. My chains were killing me, keeping me sick and limiting my view of what I could have for myself, and still can if I choose to start making them again.
Our lives are as free as we make them, there is nothing that can hold us back if we don’t allow it to, we have the power to break those chains that prevent us from being our best selves, from living a life of freedom and from finding a new way of life that allows us to grow and flourish. What chains are holding you back? SLAY on!
SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you drag a lot of old ideas, resentments and people who no longer serve you? What are those? Why do you still carry them around? How can you detach yourself from them? Do you see how those things harm you? How do they harm you? Do you feel safe dragging them behind? How so? They do not protect you SLAYER, they only prevent you from finding your true potential and living your best life. Let go of what holds you back, break the chains of your past and find a new freedom in your truth today.
S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you
State Of Slay™ 