If you were standing on a podium in front of the entire world, what would you say?

What wisdom would you offer?
What heartfelt story would you share?
What piece of yourself would you give?
And how would you hope it would make a difference?

I recently asked this question on Soul Speak’s Facebook page and received some beautiful answers. It’s such a powerful question that really makes us think about what we see as important in life. It can even bring up all kinds of limiting beliefs about ourselves: “What could I possibly share with the world? Why would anyone listen to me, anyway?”

If I were before a group of people I know exactly what I’d say. I’d want to tell them how different life can be if just a small part of it were dedicated to something they love to do.

I would tell them that I had worked trying to make a perfect house and family to the point of exhaustion. That I thought by sacrificing any and ALL of my wants and needs to meet other’s wants and needs that that would make them happy…only it didn’t.

I would tell them that I believe that all the chronic autoimmune illnesses and other health issues stem from problems just like this. I would tell them that it’s as if our poor body wants us to pay attention and is almost rebelling against us for denying what it really has wanted us to do for so very long.

I would share how I had gotten to the point of knowing that everything I was and had needed to change. I would share that we don’t have to move mountains to make this change – just our priorities. We have to make ourselves a priority. And doing something you love to do everyday is a good way to do that. I would tell that doing that changed everything for me. – Kelly Wilson

If I were lucky enough to directly impact the entire world, this is what I would share:

Remember who you are. Underneath the layers of parent, spouse, partner, sibling, child, friend, colleague, employee, employer and so on, there is a YOU that exists independently from any role or obligation. It is that part of you that is Divine, Eternal and All-Knowing. Spend time with that part of you. Get quiet and listen to It, for It will guide you in your mission on this planet.

We all came to this planet with some mighty powerful qualities and talents that are meant to serve others and bring immeasurable joy. You know that buzzing feeling you get when you’ve shared an idea, a piece of art, a solution to a problem…or when you’ve given an empathetic hug, squeezed a hand in understanding, and really connected with another human being? Those are the world-changing moments in which we thrive. So don’t forget to create those moments.

I learned that, by stuffing my art-loving, humanitarian, writer-Self into a box labelled “childish pastimes,” I became a sad and angry person. My Joy was missing. I was blessed with people in my life who loved me and whom I loved – like my beautiful baby girl – my first born – but that underlying pulse that was ME was weak or often absent.

Then one day, I remembered that I loved to write. I remembered I loved to dream. I remembered I loved to help people and that at one time, I had high hopes of making a difference in the world. I remembered ME.

I hope that every person reading this knows that no matter how buried your dreams or passions are, they have not disappeared. Life contains many Joys and they are ours for the taking and giving. Engaging in an activity that makes you happy on a soul level, even for a short period of time each day does wonders for your mental and physical health. Take the time to listen and remember. And then release your beautiful Self into the world.
- Taslim Jaffer

I would proclaim to the world and its entire people that this, right here, right now is all we have. The current, the now, the present.

I would say that only through acceptance and love will we find the peace, contentment, and happiness that we so long for. All of the pain, suffering and negativity that runs throughout our home can be dispelled through a common consciousness that can only be found through the spirit, the soul that lies within each of us.

That we as a people, the people of earth, one race, one species can bring about a profound change within not only ourselves but each other by realizing that though cultures may differ, on the deepest levels of understanding regardless of our beliefs we are ultimately the same. That though we may disagree, by allowing each of us to live in peace by accepting and embracing our differences and even learning from them; the fighting, the suffering and the pain that many experience can and will disappear as if it had never existed.

It is our divine right as citizens of this planet that we embrace and enjoy ourselves and each other. That we Love as long as we live and Laugh as often as we breathe. Let us stand together tall and strong and feel our spirit grow as one until we glow as brightly as the sun in our divinity.- Cindi Hansford

Now it’s your turn: What would YOU share with the world?

Leave a comment below letting all of us know what piece of wisdom you would offer to the world!

Not sure what to say?

Get out a piece of paper and a pen (or open a Word file on your computer). Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths. And then ask yourself what your soul would most want the world to know – to hear. And then start writing. Don’t censor yourself. Just write. The answers will come. They may surprise you, or they may be words that you already knew. Just keep writing. The messages from your soul are unique to only you. This is your message. This is what you are meant to share with the world.

Once you have written down your message, please click here to share with with all of us on Soul Speak. Soul Speak’s readers are all over the world – so you will be sharing it with the world! Isn’t it time that your voice was heard? Isn’t it time for your message to reach far and wide? Isn’t it time that you let your soul speak out? Yes, I believe it is.

I can’t wait to hear the beautiful words you are about to share with all of us.

***

Jodi Chapman is the author of the inspirational blog, Soul Speak; the upcoming book, Coming Back to Life: How an Unlikely Friend Helped Me Reclaim My True Spirit; and the bestselling Soulful Journals series, co-authored with her husband, Dan Teck.

Oh my, this fear within me runs deeper than I realized. This part of me that wants to keep playing small and hiding behind everything and anything takes up more space inside of me than I thought.

One foot moves forward, ready and oh, so willing to take that leap once and for all. To soar into the unknown. To fly higher than it has ever known.

The other foot holds back – chained to the past and chained to the known. It knows that I am safe here. Unhappy, but safe.

The leaping foot tells this afraid foot that it will all be okay – that we can finally be truly happy if we believe that we will be okay in this new space. It tells it that the potential for lasting happiness exists in this new world – this world where faith is our safety net (thank you, sweet Julia for this beautiful way of looking at it).

The chained foot thinks it over and moves one step forward – still dragging this heavily weighted fear. And then it stops. What if we’re not safe? What if we fail? What if we end up even worse than we are now? What if we land flat on our face? And so it takes a step back – cowering to these questions.

It’s just too scary, it tells the leaping foot. We better just stay here for now.

The leaping foot, however, doesn’t give up very easily. It knows that this leap is essential – that it must leap in order to begin to live again. And so it gathers every ounce of courage it can find and leaps anyway. Not caring that the other foot might not want to come along. Not worrying about where it will land.

It knows so deeply and so completely that the universe will support it. It knows that the loving community around it will support it. It knows that if it didn’t leap soon, that it may never be brave enough to leap again.

And guess what?

This inner strength – this deep fortitude – this knowing that came from something so much bigger than itself – all of this was so powerful that it leaped with such force that it ripped the other foot from its chains, so they could both leap into this amazing world together!

This is the kind of power that we all have within ourselves. This is the kind of faith that it takes to leap into our truest lives. This is the kind of knowing that we all have to step into the unknown and embrace it, thrive in it, and love it.

And this is what I remember about myself (and all of us) when I am feeling afraid. This is what I remind myself of when I feel like I can’t go on. This is what I tell myself when I worry – when I am paralyzed. I remember my strength and my faith. I remember that my soaring self is so much stronger than my chained self.

And I leap. And not only will both feet be there to hold me up when I land – the universe will, too. This is what keeps me going. This is what keeps me moving forward. I have stepped into my power.

***

Jodi Chapman is the author of the inspirational blog, Soul Speak; the upcoming book, Coming Back to Life: How an Unlikely Friend Helped Me Reclaim My True Spirit; and the bestselling Soulful Journals series, co-authored with her husband, Dan Teck. She would love to connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Oftentimes, when we take a leap and step into the life that we feel we are meant to live, we feel afraid and unsure and unsettled.

We wonder if we have made the right choice. We look around us, and it seems that everyone else is confident and entirely sure of themselves and their choices. And this causes us to feel alone and isolated in our frightened state of mind. We worry that something must be wrong with us – why can’t we just take the leap, be okay with it, and get on with our lives?

But I have a secret to share: we’re all afraid. This newness that we are feeling right now is completely normal. These jitters are absolutely part of our stepping into who were truly are.

We are babies in this new world, so it makes perfect sense that we don’t know our way right from the start. We are learning and growing, but all the while we know that this is exactly where we need to be – exactly where we long to be. And we are so brave to have even gotten this far.

We should definitely applaud ourselves for that. So many others live their entire lives on the edge of life – looking out over the edge, wanting so desperately to leap into their dream life, but quickly step back into the known. They feel the jitters and the fear, and they cower to it. But we feel the jitters and the fear, and we leap anyway! We leap in spite of it. We are no longer willing to let this frightened part of ourselves lead the way. We are no longer willing to give our power away to the land of What ifs and What may happens and What could go wrongs. Oh no, we are done playing that game. We have now entered the land where we have stepped into our true power. We know the way, and we are soaring into what we knew we could be – what we knew we would be – what we knew we already were.

Sure we are afraid. So what? We were afraid before we took the leap, too, right? But there is a big difference between then and now: we are no longer looking out over the edge. We are no longer looking at our dream life from a distance. We are IN IT. We are LIVING IT. We are there!

So it’s perfectly okay to feel afraid. Let’s embrace our fears! Let’s sit with them and listen to them for awhile. They will probably tell you that they are simply unsure about this new life. They will want to protect you from getting hurt or feeling uncomfortable or not knowing what to do – how to be – how to live in this newness. And that’s okay. Your soul has led you to this point, and your soul definitely knows the way through this uncertainty. Let your fear know this – hold its hand – and sit there for awhile. And then, move forward together into your beautiful life that is right there waiting for you.

We are all on this journey together. And there are moments within each of our lives where we took that leap of faith and were completely enveloped with fear. However, we all landed on our feet, didn’t we? We are all here right now. And we are all okay. So when I start to feel extra fearful, I remember that, which is very comforting. We are never given more than we can handle. And we have all been afraid when we experienced something new and soared toward our dreams. And being afraid is a huge part of this process. It’s part of being human and truthful and vulnerable. And aren’t those beautiful things to be?

***

Jodi Chapman is the author of the inspirational blog, Soul Speak; the upcoming book, Coming Back to Life: How an Unlikely Friend Helped Me Reclaim My True Spirit; and the bestselling Soulful Journals series, co-authored with her husband, Dan Teck. She would love to connect on Facebook and Twitter.

I wear a silver chain necklace at all times. I sleep with it on. I shower with it on. It’s always on. It’s a very meaningful necklace – it’s a reminder for me to come back to the present. When I see it in the mirror, when I feel it against my skin, it’s my wake up call to center myself and breathe.

About a month ago I noticed that it had a small kink in it. I didn’t think much of it – I figured that I would take it off and fix it when I had the time. A couple of weeks went by and again I noticed this kink. This time, I thought about taking it off, finding a needle, and fixing it. But…this was just a passing thought – I quickly became distracted and went about my busy life.

While I was brushing my hair in the mirror today, I noticed it again. The kink had grown. It now looked like it would be much harder to fix – it seemed like it would take a lot longer to untangle. And it got me thinking that had I simply taken it off when I first noticed it, it would’ve been a five-minute fix. Now, because I waited, it’s going to be a whole project to get this necklace back to health.

And I can’t help but think that this is a wake up call for me – for you – for all of us. So many of us go about our lives in a daze most of the time. If we’re being completely honest, we’re thinking about what’s next, what’s coming up – rather than being present with what is happening in each moment. We are always in motion. And when kinks arise, we push them aside or stuff them down rather than taking the few moments to work them out and move on. We figure they’ll just go away or work themselves out. But they don’t, do they? These life kinks can become tangled into a huge mess if they aren’t dealt with and handled when they appear.

They are whispers from our soul letting us know that we should pay attention to something. They can appear as frustrations, health concerns, fears, or inner naggings. What they all have in common is that they are inner pullings – things we really should be hearing, and yet we feel that we’re too busy to slow down and listen to them.

Think about the kinks in your own life.

What are you setting aside to deal with later?
What is your soul wanting you to pay attention to now?
How can you devote a few minutes today to do exactly that and begin to untangle these situations?

Let’s learn to pay attention to the small kinks that are easily mended rather than waiting for our entire necklace of life to become one big tangled mess.

Yes, let’s do that.

For now, I’m off to start the process of untangling my necklace. And while I’m doing that, I’m going to be thinking about where else these kinks are showing up in my own life. Hopefully I can move onto those next. I invite you to do the same.

***

Jodi Chapman is the author of the inspirational blog, Soul Speak; the upcoming book, Coming Back to Life: How an Unlikely Friend Helped Me Reclaim My True Spirit; and the bestselling Soulful Journals series, co-authored with her husband, Dan Teck. She would love to connect on Facebook and Twitter.