You're Worthy of Unconditional Love

It's Jamila here. Thanks for taking time for this moment with me. I wanna talk about those moments when we feel othered. As a kid, I grew up feeling like I was different. I didn't look, speak, dress, or behave like many of the other children around me. I felt like an alien from an unknown planet and often wondered if I was even meant to be here. This feeling of otherness led me to doubt my ability and my worthiness to be loved. I knew that I was loved, but I also believed that I had to earn it. I thought that I had to be smart or funny, easy to be around, accommodating, pleasant. As one of the few black children in mostly white social spaces, like ballet classes, the swim team, theater, I felt hypervisible. I spent years feeling like I was in the spotlight, whether or not I wanted to be. It kept me stuck in patterns of shrinking or performing. Sometimes I tried to disappear, to be just like everyone else so I could fit in. And sometimes I tried to be the shining star. If everyone was gonna be looking at me anyway, I wanted to put on a good show. I wanted to be excellent, to prove myself worthy of being there. This was exhausting and unsustainable, and it kept me from getting to know my true self. I was so busy trying to hide my truth or pretend to be someone I wasn't that I blocked my own connection with the brilliant, creative, unique being that I am. If this resonates with you, I invite you to take a long deep breath. And another. And another. Wanting to be liked and adored isn't just a silly childhood craving. It's part of our design. As humans, we are wired for connection. As infants, we come into the world with the knowing that we are reliant on our parents and caregivers for survival. We know, before we even have the language to express it or understand it, that our safety is dependent on our connections to other people. In our early days, we learned that certain behaviors are acceptable and that others are not. We learned that when we do certain things or behave in a certain way, our parents praise us and are proud of us. And when we do some other things, we are scolded, shamed and punished. But the truth is, we are all worthy of love regardless of what we do or how we show up. No matter who we are, the mistakes we've made, the choices we wish we hadn't chosen, the identities we hold, love is a part of who we are. It's a healing medicine that we all deserve to experience. You are worthy of love that is not dependent or reliant on you to be or do anything other than show up just as you are. Today, we'll take a moment to connect with the energy...