51 Permissions Granted by Life

“Dream and give yourself permission to envision a You that you choose to be.” ~ Joy Page

Are you your worst critic? Do you find it hard to give yourself some slack? Do you beat yourself up over small matters? And are you tied up in knots because of it?

Sometimes, we just can’t seem to give ourselves permission to be human. We demand so much of ourselves.

But if Life could speak, I believe it would likely be a bit more generous and kind than we sometimes are in this regard. In that light, then, I’ll risk the arrogance of speaking for Life to grant you the permission you sometimes withhold from yourself to simply be human.

I, Life, hereby grant you the right to be all and every one of the following, in any order or combination at any and all times.

I therefore grant you permission …

1. to be human and possess the foibles and weaknesses that being human implies

2. to be wrong, even if you’re afraid to admit it.

3. to disagree without justification simply because you have the right to disagree.

4. to live life on your terms, to reach and stretch and grow and become.

5. to be imperfect at love, to be imperfect at parenting, to be imperfect at life, but to be the perfect you.

6. to fail once, then twice, then a third time, and over and over again after that.

7. to try again as often or as infrequently as you feel you’re able.

8. to sing beautifully or horribly, but to sing out loud without fear or shame.

9. to be silly with your kids, or your spouse, with your friends, or yourself.

10. to be illogical and wrong and frustrating and emotional.

11. to fall down and take the needed time to brush off and get going again.

12. to work longer than others without worrying about labels and name calling, jealousy or resentment.

13. to work shorter than others as you discover time-saving tips and think creatively about work and success.

14. to be good enough as you are, while always working on the blind spots of your life.

15. to create and be creative, to experiment and invent and ad lib and innovate and change things around.

16. to be quiet and sit or think or just be.

17. to speak up and speak your mind and speak without raising your hand.

18. to laugh until it hurts.

19. to cry until it doesn’t hurt anymore.

20. to put your elbows on the table of life and keep the napkin off your lap and break other conventions that have no bearing on decency.

21. to stop on your way to your goals to chat with a neighbor or look at flowers blooming along the way.

22. to stroll through life at your own pace.

23. to write a poem even if you don’t know how to write one.

24. to require others to treat you with dignity and respect.

25. to remove “friends” from your life who refuse to.

26. to live a life of boldness and creativity and character.

27. to let your hair down, unbottle your personality and free yourself of self-imposed expectations of comportment.

28. to feel the rhythm of life course through your body and soul as you connect with the world.

29. to have impractical friendships with impractical people.

30. to smile … lots … big … even when it doesn’t make sense to smile.

31. to seek help from friends or doctors or therapists or coaches or priests or pastors without shame and without embarrassment.

32. to tell the truth without fear, without hesitation and without the need to remain with those who can’t accept the truth about you.

33. to grow, to change, to transform, to become a different person than the one you started out being.

34. to drive on the wrong side of the street of life.

35. to stand for something and hold your ground and live with purpose.

36. to say no and mean it.

37. to say yes and do it.

38. to reconsider and change your mind on principle.

39. to grab hold of life and wring every last drop of juice from its opportunities and possibilities.

40. to rekindle romance in your life.

41. to have as many children as you can love and afford.

42. to be bold and assertive and ask for what you want from life and from others and from yourself.

43. to be kind and giving and loving.

44. to soften your heart and live vulnerably, open to pain by being open to love.

45. to befriend the friendless.

46. to love yourself.

47. to forgive yourself.

48. to trust your instincts.

49. to fill your life with love and friendship and happiness and joy.

50. to live out the poetry of your life.

51. to never need my permission again to allow yourself this and so much more as you reach for your potential and uncover your magnificence and free yourself to become the person you were meant to be, living the happiness you were meant to live.

Please share your thoughts in the comments.

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