Giving Yourself Permission

April 23, 2014

I remember when, as a child, how exciting it was to go on a field trip – to leave the school grounds to do something different, something out of the ordinary, something that wasn’t part of the rules of school.

To do this required a signed permission slip from mom or dad saying they approved of the field trip. Once that was signed – woohoo – “here we come exciting day at school!”

And I remember those field trips – out of the norm of what I knew. They opened my eyes to new ways of seeing the world and myself in the world. I felt so free!

Getting permission can still happen, only you don’t need to ask your parent – only your internal parent of what you believe you can or can’t do, how you should or shouldn’t be, what your suppose to or not suppose to do. You can be liberated right now to see the world and yourself in the world from a different perspective.

It’s giving yourself permission to do something or not do something that is different than you’ve done in the past. It’s breaking out of the mold, or the box, I call it sometimes, of your perceptions and beliefs.

You get to write yourself a permission slip. I’m serious. Actually write it down. I give credit to Brene Brown and Oprah Winfrey for this idea from their joint course. I love to share great ideas that help us all!

Here’s what I mean. Think in your mind of the rules you put on yourself everyday and think of what the opposite action would be.

Choose from these examples or use them as a starting point for your permission slip.

I give myself permission to:

not be perfect
make mistakes without judging myself
not say I’m sorry when I did nothing wrong
be happy (I’m serious about this one)
play like a child
dance in my living room
tsing when I feel like singing
hug someone when I feel like hugging them
say my truth even when it’s scary
slow down and listen to my heart
open my heart
love myself or another person unconditionally
be silly
know that I’m creative
cry
feel and embrace whatever feeling is moving through me
be successful
shine
not feel guilty for taking care of myself
love your body – sexuality included

This list is not exhaustive. You get to choose what it is you’d like to give yourself permission to do today. Pick one thing.

Then pick one thing tomorrow. Or write 3 permissions for the week.

Sign your name. This is your field trip. No rules, no box, no should’s, no suppose to’s.

Here’s to your freedom!

Categories: Heart Centered Living

My passion, my calling, is for you to be totally you. Through private coaching, in-depth retreats, and online group coaching programs, I help you tap into your intuition and clarify your desires and vision, I guide you to take active steps toward making your desires a reality.

2 comments to “Giving Yourself Permission”

Robin
May 1, 2014 at 5:07 pm

Wow, Angela, this is so simple but so powerful. I read this a long time ago and immediately copied it to reread often, focusing on areas of preconceived notions that I need to release. Some immediately spoke to me like: “Play like a child” ~ something I ache to do but don’t really know how to do as an adult ~ so sad ~ Sometimes I wonder what that really looks like. Others are to “slow down and listen to my heart,” “dance in my living room,” “know that I’m creative,” and that I can “be successful.” I need to say these out loud and really live them. Thanks for the reminders and the “permission” which I must give myself.

Reply
angela patnode
May 2, 2014 at 12:38 am

Yay! Yes, play like a child – it feels so free and liberating! Let go of the should’s and dance like no one is watching…

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