Recently I was in the city with my little family and a piece of street art caught my attention.

I’m not sure if it was designed with this interpretation, but in a fleeting moment this is what it shouted at me.

Every one of us has a shadow of ourselves following us. We all walk a fine line between our brilliance and our darkest selves. Sometimes though a step towards our brilliance is placing our crowns on and reminding ourselves of what we were created to be.

A friend of mine posted this on an Instagram account we share called kinwomen;

This picture and profound words really hit a chord with our followers and was reposted many times.

Have you forgotten your heritage?

Have you forgotten that which you were destined for?

Have you allowed the darker version of yourself to take over and dismissed that which is good?

Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that we were designed with purpose. We were designed with intention. We were designed with uniqueness. We were designed.

Full stop.

It is that design that we need to remind ourselves of and restore that crown back to its rightful place.

I’m not a princess warrior type, but the street artist moved me.

What does this piece of artwork say to you?

Explore it with me today?

Amanda

I am a terrible people pleaser.

Honestly it is something I struggle with all the time.

Facing the reality of this weakness, continually challenges me to confront it and change it.

The crazy thing is though, my people pleasing doesn’t cause me to be a fading wallflower, it’s the opposite.

I become defensive, I become loud, I become passionate, I become brash.

When I feel like I have let someone down or if I feel criticised or even worse shamed, I step forward not backward.

Which means it is a destructive cycle. Every time I respond badly, I hurt people, then I get defensive, then I am ashamed because people are unhappy with me and then I defend my behaviour. You get the picture!

As a leader I have failed and failed, learnt and apologised.

As a daughter I have cried and been humbled, argued and got defensive.

As a friend I have said way too much and regretted my outbursts.

As a human though, I have faced the reality of this weakness and continue to grow and change and confront it.

I don’t always get it right but I am authentically learning and changing, growing and moulding.

What way do you react to people’s opinion?

You may do the exact opposite, shrink back, internalise, hate on them quietly, manipulate, de-friend, block….the list goes on and on.

What if we transformed the criticism into creativity?

What if we empowered those feelings of lack into processing, fuelling our ideas, finding strength and change from them?

What if we took criticism (no matter if it was given badly or not) sucked it up and allowed it to bring change?

What if we were the bigger person?

What if we allowed it to make us stronger not weaker?

What if we listened and found the truth? (Even if that truth for us, is very different to the spirit it was intended)

What if?

Imagine what the creative community, our online contributions, our friendship circles, could look like?

What if?

Imagine.

Amanda