I went to one of my favorite little neighborhood restaurants today and ordered a Spicy Salmon Rice bowl. I was pretty excited about my lunch, because this place has pretty amazing food, but for some reason my intution told me not to get the Salmon bowl. "Not get the Salmon bowl? That's an odd request!" I blurted back to the little voice in my head. Don't worry, as this little spat between self and self stayed in my head. I proceeded to order the Salmon bowl anyway. I sat down and waited for my sure to be tasty meal to be served to me. Fast forward a few moments and the server set a yummy looking bowl in front me. I grabbed my fork to take a bite, and within the a few seconds of my first chews, I realized, "Hey, I don't like sushi!"
You might think, "Big whoop, what's the life changing realization in that?" Well, let me tell you: I've probably been eating sushi and variations of it for about 15 years. I had it for the first time in high school with a friend. We thought we were being sophisticated and cool by enjoying such a culinary delight. I'm sure I've eaten sushi at least a hundred times between then and now, so what made this time different? I'm betting on my new-found commitment to be more authentically my SELF. I'm growing toward a place of true unfiltered self-expression, and these seemingly small epiphanies happen often. My lunch today reminded me of the things big and small I do or don't do because of what other people may think of me. I became aware of things I like because everyone else likes them. It's a bit hilarious that I'd been walking around with a food preference that my high school self acquired just because it was the "cool" thing to do. And it's absurd that I had been eating something that in hindsight I never really enjoyed. This little insight came packaged in a bowl of spicy salmon and rice. My aversion to raw fish gave me the priceless gift of self awareness.
What I hope this little peek into my food preferences does for you is bring an awareness into your life of the places big and small where you are not being your true self. Are you eating a food you don't really like, but eat it anyway because it's trendy? Do you work at a place that crushes your spirit because it's a good job with benefits? Are you not doing something you've always dreamed of because others might not approve? What are the areas in your life where that little voice in your head suggests another choice, but you often ignore it? My challenge for you ~ a double dog dare if you will ~ is to take heed the next time that voice whispers what may seem like an odd request. I am learning more and more that it has a rate of one hundred percent accuracy. The moments I listen to it I'm more than glad I did, be it about what's for lunch, or if a job is right for me or not. My wish for you is that today you make a commitment to be unapologetically YOU in all areas of your life! I'll keep you posted as to my journey in doing so; let me know what's going on for you in the comments section.
Love,
Kimberly
