Years ago, in my home office overlooking the backyard, I had what I call a download from the universe:“Fabienne, you must write a book and share your story with other women struggling with the same issues of not feeling good enough. Do it so they, too, can live happier, more meaningful lives.” Problem is, I didn’t know how to write about it.
I’d been working with an intuitive, someone who can channel my spirit guides, and when I asked her what the book would be about, she simply said, “Write a letter to Claire.” I got chills.
As soon as I was told this, the entire outline of this book was given to me. It was as if a force beyond me was waiting for me to get this message out, that it needed to be said, and that many, many women needed to hear it.
I sat down at my computer, and, within minutes, everything was on paper. Everything that I wanted to pass on to my daughter, all my life lessons, and my journey from low self-esteem to living a magnificent life were now laid out. The shell was there. My job became to flesh it out with my own journey of personal healing and spiritual growth.
Writing my book began as a letter to Claire. I shared with her all the important life lessons I’ve learned and gave her the practical tools I’ve collected over the years to navigate life. I told her to love herself unconditionally and to embrace how truly magnificent a woman is, how deserving she is of all the abundance in the world.
And yet there is within me a sense of urgency bubbling up. I want to get this message out to women around the world—now, not later. I believe that when women realize how potent and magnificent they truly are, they will step up powerfully to shift their worlds. When a woman allows herself to see how glorious, brave, and brilliant she is, despite what she’s endured previously, she will feel the courage to step out of her shell, stop playing small, and fully step into the potential of her own life purpose.
As a woman embraces how worthy she is, she plays a bigger game in all aspects of her life. When she heals the parts within that have been wounded and have held her back, she gets out of her own way and lives a richer, fuller, more abundant life. By doing so, she changes the lives of the people around her in ways and with a magnitude she will never really know. The ripple effects of this are endless.
To fully live up to your calling and live a life that is rich, full, and abundant, your greatest challenge is to be absolutely, totally true to yourself. You must believe in yourself, loving yourself warts and all. You must accept yourself as a child of God, accept your purpose, have compassion for yourself, and, most important, express fully who you are and what you believe. You must share all that is you, without regard for what others think or how they will react to it, no matter what the consequences.
To fully express yourself, you must set aside any tendency to put on a mask. Instead, tear down the walls that separate you and your truth from the world. The ways in which you haven’t been authentic and any false pretenses must stop. This is so important that I urge you to see it as going into battle in the same way Joan of Arc went into each battle—with courage, conviction, faith, perseverance, and fierce determination.
You’ve succumbed to and previously accepted some false beliefs about yourself and your capabilities. These false beliefs come from family, religion, teachers, and society, and they are not true. Accepting them causes a loss of your sense of self and disconnects you from yourself and your true and just power.
At the same time, your sense of the importance of what you are being called to do also generates a level of fear and anxiety deep inside. The anxiety is the voice of your soul wishing to be freed into full expression. It is battling against the fear of what might happen if you do so. The “what might happen if I am really myself” is a fear that is primal and feels dangerous. The fear of being rejected, cast out from the tribe, is a fear of great proportions, and it feels like the fear of death.
Most people don’t even know that this fear exists and even fewer are determined to face it. Instead, they allow this fear to guide their decisions and determine their choices, while they create a false front and stay numb.
For a long time, I too stayed numb and hid from my own truth and purpose. I was afraid of how big it is. I was afraid to rock the boat. My calling here is to be a spiritual teacher and healer in the world community. I believe deep in my heart that the time is now for light-workers to gather their strength and heal the world. I am here to help others awaken to their own callings and potentials for greatness. I am here to help them step into it with courage and faith, taking a no-excuses approach to playing a much bigger game. That is my “big why” and my mission here, the thing that gives me purpose and scares me at the same time.
The fear of it all sometimes makes me want to hide, numb out, and go into avoidance and denial. It’s easy to slip into thoughts that go against your reason for being here.
“It’s too hard.”
“There’s too much to do.”
“It’s an overwhelming task. I can’t possibly do this on my own.”
“I don’t have what it takes.”
“I don’t know enough.”
“I’m not strong enough.”
“I’m scared.”
“What if they think I’m crazy and reject me?”
Sometimes I cry about this.
But then the calling is stronger than me, and I know I have no choice but to get my message out there and help as many people as I can. I help them wake up to their potentials and play a much bigger game in service to others, no matter what my ego says and no matter what the fear is.
You too must face the fear and walk right into it. With your bravery and courage, you will face these fears. One thing to remember is that you will sometimes want to slip into avoidance and denial. You will want to forget that you’re here for something big. But you must refrain from any activities that you may currently indulge in that ease or muffle the fear. You must set aside any tendency to ease your anxiety. Feel the anxiety, feel the fear, feel them fully—and then take action in spite of the fears. Your purpose here is that important.
© 2014. Fabienne Fredrickson. Excerpt from Embrace Your Magnificence: Get Out of Your Own Way and Live a Richer, Fuller, More Abundant Life. Reprinted with permission. Hay House. Available online and at bookstores.
