The Gift of Experience: Hope Prevails

The Truth Shall Set You Free

"This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou 'canst not then be false to any man." -William Shakespeare

I've found that being true to myself has really simplified my life. When I'm still, and just think for a moment, and listen to myself - to what I need and want - and then proceed to do what my instincts tell me to and nothing more, I find that there is no confusion in my life. People can be demanding, but I make my own schedule and if it's too stringent I can change it. If every night I am so tired from overextending myself to others that I can't get my own house cleaned, I need to change my schedule, to simplify my life, to trust my instincts and be true to me.

Everyone has their own set of truths and everyone must find their own. My journey of self-exploration will not necessarily help you, and yours will not help me. We can share what might happen as a result of certain actions, but oft times we must step out in faith to see whether that is the course we should take. Sometimes we fall flat on our faces. Sometimes failure is the best thing for us. Sometimes confusion and frustration will help us to become stronger people. I battled for a long time before finding the truths within me today. It was not easy, for I have always been subserviant, first to an authoritarian father figure and then to a domineering military husband. (Of course, I was a rebel on the inside.)

George Santayana wrote that truth is "A jewel which should not be painted over; but, it may be set to advantage and shown in a good light."

Every experience, whether it be a success or a failure, has a truth attached to it, just waiting to be discovered. Go out and make a breakthrough and find the truths that will honor who you are at present, and who want to become!