The Beauty of Guilt, Episode 99 of Turning Towards Life
Our capacity to say a real, genuine, heartfelt 'yes' depends upon our ability to also say 'no' when it's called for. But so often we act out of integrity with ourselves to try to save ourselves from feeling the guilt that so often comes with 'no'. But what if we saw guilt as something to welcome rather than avoid?
A conversation about finding a way to be true in our relationships with others, with Lizzie Winn and Justin Wise of Thirdspace.
Here’s Episode 99 of Turning Towards Life, a weekly live 30 minute conversation hosted by Thirdspace in which Justin Wise and Lizzie Winn dive deep into big questions of human living. Find us on FaceBook to watch live and join in the lively conversation on this episode. We’re also on YouTube, and as a podcast on Apple, Google and Spotify.
The Beauty of Guilt
When you say NO,
when you set boundaries,
you may feel guilty.
Wonderful. Feel guilty!
And say NO anyway.
Set boundaries anyway.
Speak your deepest truth anyway.
Feeling guilty is not so bad,
when you drench that experience
with curious awareness.
Hold "the guilty-feeling one" in your arms.
Give her room.
Breathe into the discomfort.
Let her feel "bad" for a while.
And speak your truth anyway.
Say NO anyway.
Set boundaries anyway.
You say YES sometimes to avoid the pain of guilt, don't you?
You ignore your own boundaries to avoid the pain.
But the pain is bearable.
You can survive it.
The guilt will rise like a wave, sometimes.
And subside. And rise again, maybe.
And eventually pass.
But you will stay true to yourself regardless.
On your path. In your integrity.
Guilt as a sweet companion.
Guilt as a fragile child needing your love.
Guilt as an ally on the road.
You are not controlled by guilt anymore,
when you are willing
to feel it.
– Jeff Foster
Photo by Isaiah Rustad on Unsplash