This article stirred up a lot for me in many different ways.  I've spent some time playing small in many domains of my life.  Feeling myself expanding and contracting at several twists and turns of life.  I've hidden behind the fact that I'm a stay-at-home parent of 4 little girls and that what wants to come through shall wait until this particular date that somehow continues to get pushed off further and further "intellectually".  I've noticed this pattern for some time going on inside of myself.  I've made some changes recently and I'm starting to see things more clearly.  This tension that has built up is still very alive inside my being but I'm learning to work with it and sit with it.  With this I can feel a sense of momentum building up inside.  One thing that comes up for me is that this energy is wanting to come up, out and through my being.  

I've been working on several different ways to express myself out into the world over the years.  But there has been this "resistance" that arises as I begin to express.  I contract, play small and the tension builds inside.  One of the things I noticed is comparing myself to others has been my modus operandi which only causes me to contract and pack my ideas back in the closet.  I feel this loop has been exhausted, I can see it so clearly now.

I also sense and feel how this system we live in is very much in the game of helping people play small by the many different distractions that are available to us today.  A lot is being sold to society based off of this, not being enough unless you have x, y and z to show for it.  This insatiable energy only grows, and we continue to look to the external world to fill us up.  I'm speaking from my own personal experience over the years.  It has worked for some time but has reached its expiration date!  Thank you for this article Open it really hit something deep inside me.

I realize that one of the greatest gifts I can give my daughters is for them to witness the authentic expression of this man they call dad.  I feel that I've done the best that I can up until this point but there have definitely been some distortions that needed to be worked through.  I'm feeling really great about 2023 for many different reasons.  This article even got me more pumped up!  Thank you for the inspiration Open.

Peace and Love,

Chad