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Cannot be everything to everyone...



By Natalie Rene     9:12 AM    Labels: 



We cannot be everything to everyone. But I grew up thinking I could or I should. I think a lot of my self-worth actually came from what I could do to help others rather than what was best for me. I listened to a very powerful Joel Osteen podcast called the "Right People" and it gave me a lot of clarity. Giving to others is an absolute blessing and is a calling, but it can also be a detriment to who we want to be. We often spread ourselves so thin trying to be everything to everyone including jobs, family, friendships, and relationships...that we are never really all in to anything. I am guilty of this and battle guilt of not being able to do it all. 

Perhaps I've changed since my Dad passed, but I always had thought that I had some gift of saving people. Whether it's my students, health and fitness team, relationships, friendships... I thought I had the power to do this. That is a heavy burden to carry and one that I know a lot of my friends and family carry too, especially as parents. We try to be super parents and never want to let anyone down. 

After my Dad's first stroke in August of 2013, he was in Alaska. I was certain that he just needed to see me face to face and he would muster strength from me to beat it. I would be his saving grace. My Dad and I were always on the same wave length and were motivated in the same way to take obstacles head on. My brother actually called me ahead of time to warn me of what I would see and to expect. I heard him, but I was certain that it was ME that would turn this around. I would help my Dad have the strength get through OT and PT and we would be fighters together. But it was not up to me. God had other plans and I did not have the power to save him no matter how much I thought I could. This changes a person. I could either succumb to the fact that life was in God's hands no matter what or I could try to fight it. When my Dad passed, I surrendered that day rather than being angry. And I came to understand that I can only do so much each day. I realized that I want to live and inspire others each day. But I can NOT take this on as being able to save everyone in my life. It truly lies within their heart and I can only lead by example and live out my truth. 

So my truth is letting go of what I cannot control and finding people who can fill my cup. Even some of the people that have touched our lives the most may not be the best people to have closest because they burden our hearts and souls. And we can still care for these people, but we need to let them go. We need people who pick us up unconditionally and we naturally do the same for them. I want to be in the present. I have always been touched by Tim McGraw's song "Live Like You Were Dying." I'm done with the past & worrying about the future serves no purpose for my growth. We are creating a future each day by the decisions we make. And I won't be everything to everyone, but I will certainly be everything to those who matter the most. 


Xo, Natalie Rene





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