Waiting To Be Discovered

~ Written August 10, 2022. Reflections on the journey from seeking external validation to embracing the beauty and authenticity of one’s Self.

I remember spending most of my young adult life waiting for others to acknowledge my gifts, depth, and authenticity. I longed for someone to discover me.

I knew this vastness within that was full of beauty, peace, and strength at my very core was special. Not special in the egoic sense, but rare, like a flower that only blooms in season and in a particular environment.

That grand day of outward validation never arrived. However, through grace and ardent devotion to truth, God, and self-discovery, I gloriously awakened to the beautiful, life-altering realization that discovering my own Self was enough.

Not only was it enough, but I began to notice that, in the process of humbly appreciating, honoring, and expressing this divinity within me, more and more, others that mattered could see it too.

My path of self-discovery was not without suffering. Most of it was self-chosen through addiction, delusion, and oftentimes outright arrogance. Today, I am grateful for my teachers, my awakening, and my self-discovery. Each day, there’s more flowering.

Petals drop. New ones appear. My fragrance is one of compassion, strength, grace, love, and, perhaps most notably, human authenticity.