From My Journal: A Letter to the World: "Quit crying or I'll give you something to cry about." How many times do you remember hearing that as a child? How many times have you said it to your own children? Have you thought about what an impact those ten little words can have? We all hear about how, as kids, we were born with wild and vivid imaginations. Over time, the world taught us that being realistic was the way to go. So we lost that connection to our creativity and our big, bold dreams. Thankfully, in our adult lives, we're encouraged to return to that childlike imagination again. "Chase your dreams" all the experts say. Yet, there's another youthful trait we lose touch with, and that's acknowledging how we feel. And while we're encouraged to dream big, we are still discouraged from feeling anything. We hear it everyday: "Get over it already. You're stronger than this." "Don't get too excited. Nothing lasts forever." "Smile. It could be worse." "Lead with your head and not with your heart." "Quit crying or I'll give you something to cry about." While on the surface, these directives might seem helpful, they actually diminish everything that makes us who we are. Every time someone tells us these things, they're only feeding into a vicious cycle - a cycle in which everyone is uncomfortable with raw emotion. …show more content…
a constellation in the sky that is guiding our way. If we're sad or angry or disappointed, we know something we deeply desire is missing and we need to make a course correction. If we're happy or excited or proud, we know we're moving in the right direction and paradise is finally within reach. Every time we dismiss how we feel (or allow others to do so) another cloud rolls in and blocks the very stars we rely on to stay the course. If we keep stifling what's in our hearts, we eventually find ourselves lost at sea and clinging to a lifeboat - one built by others' so-called predictions and