On Friday, I was sitting at my desk doing some planning for my upcoming Friendship Portrait Event when I got a message from an old friend that contained the above picture that she had taken of me when we were 9.
Harmony and I spent many lazy days together when we were 8, 9 and 10 being silly, laughing until our bellies ached and dreaming about what our apartment might look like when we lived together as adults. We were once a faucet for halloween – I was the cold and she was the hot. We used to “breakdance” on flattened cardboard boxes in her living room. I remember timeless days in the summer where we wandered around the neighbourhood deciding to add an “n” or a “d” to the beginning of every word or seeing how long we could last hopping on one foot. I am so grateful to have had this simple, carefree time.
A week ago, I did a Leader Within session with Sara Smeaton – a coach with whom I will be collaborating to offer a beautiful package to celebrate midlife milestones (stay tuned!) and discovered, not surprisingly, that my “inner leader” is my 9-year-old self. In the vision I had of her she was wearing my favourite outfit at the time – a turquoise shirt with bees on it and red corduroy knickers (remember those??) – and I was beaming.
On Saturday my dad dug out this photo of me at my tenth birthday party wearing my favourite outfit. Note the snazzy world map wallpaper behind me.
…
My 9-year-old Inner Leader told me this: “When we feed ourselves stories of positivity and light we become more powerful.”
…
Remembering the spark in me and the joy and freedom I felt in my childhood is what drives my work in the world. We all have the spark of a child in us. It is also known as our TRUE SELF. I also choose to see it as my HIGHER SELF. Sometimes it can take effort to uncover it again, to “undo” our patterns and stories to allow it to shine.
…
We KNOW who we are when we are children. We can get convinced though that we need to be someone else when we grow up.
…
…
I have decided to offer photo sessions that document the special relationships that children have with their friends because these early friendships create a model for our future relationships. They teach us about trust, kindness, love and identity. I believe friends should be treasured like family.
Friendship Portraits are coming in February, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Join my newsletter to be the first to grab your spot!
