Authored by: Queen City Counseling Client
I’ll be honest: I find self-help books well intentioned but usually full of things that I won’t remember or don’t strike a cord with me.
Untamed was different. I found myself continuing to jot down statements or thoughts that felt powerful to me throughout my reading.
Here are my top 3 thoughts:
- You are powerful beyond measure.
- Learn to let go of your desire to be in control.
- Keep showing up.
You are powerful beyond measure.
Growing up in a religious environment, I was told to give God the power over my life and situations because a sinful human cannot possibly know what is right for themselves. This has never sat right with me. While I am discontented with Christianity/religion as a whole, Glennon Doyle’s philosophy of learning to listen and trust your truest self resonated with me. “The more I live by my own Knowing, the more my life becomes my own and the less afraid I become.” Learning to listen to and trust yourself is how you tap into your power.
Learn to let go of your desire to be in control.
I have had more than my fair share of hurt. As a defense mechanism for myself, I numbed any pain I had by going balls to the wall (ha!) on a sport I loved. It worked until it didn’t. Once the injury happened and college soccer stopped for me, I was forced to sit with my discomfort. I wanted to control the way I felt because it was uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable with “The Ache” that Doyle mentions in the book. “The Ache” is facing the feelings that are a part of life. The pain, the suffering, the angry and the unsettling. I was showing up “half dead” to life. Therapy has truly helped me learn to curb my desire to be in control of unpleasant feelings. They are a part of life and demand to be felt.
Keep showing up.
During the time that I was reading this book, George Floyd was murdered tragically due to police brutality. I realized I needed to up my game and advocate for POC in every way. Glennon talks about a white woman who was showing up during the last civil rights era. Doyle describes her here: “When I looked at her face, she didn’t look nice at all. She looked radical. Angry. Brave, Afraid. Tired. Passionate. Resolute. Regal. And a little bit scary.” This is what I hope to be. I want to show up for others when it’s hard. When it feels impossible or inconvenient. I want to show up looking passionate and maybe even a little scary too.