Someone had a great suggestion for my upcoming trip back to my old home. She suggested calling people by different versions of their name than I have in the past as a way to alter how I interact with them. I thought that was brilliant! After all, as a writer, I know the power of names. In my books, names are something I agonize over and may change a half dozen times before I feel sure I have them right. So I know the power of names.
In my new life, I know how to set boundaries. In my new life, I feel confident and strong and trust my instincts and my intelligence. The challenge when I go back will be to hold onto that knowledge and trust in myself. The challenge will be to remember that even though some people there don’t believe in me, far more, everywhere else, do. The challenge will be to remember all that I have accomplished since I left and also to recognize what I was accomplishing even back there, despite some real barriers.
And isn’t that what we all need to do as we move forward in our lives? Every time we grow and change, there will be people in our lives who have trouble seeing that. Every time we become stronger, wiser, more who we are meant to be, there will be some people who don’t want us to change and who will try to stop us or try to make us doubt the importance of what we are doing.
So if you are making changes in your lives and have someone trying to stand in your way, I pass on the suggestion of choosing a new way to say their name. If you use the full name, try a shortened version. If you use a shortened version, try the full name. Above all else, hold onto the knowledge of who you are and the very real strengths within you.
April
