Hi,
This is Erica Hsu,
And today I'm going to be reading an excerpt from my writing,
Break Free from Oppression.
I am awakening from my slumber.
After 40 years on this earth,
I am finally beginning to recognize the true essence of who I am.
It is safe to say I always knew in my heart of hearts.
But many experiences,
Some outright devastating,
Some toxic over a long period of time,
Cast my beliefs into doubt.
But finally,
The divide between who I know myself to be and who I have projected onto the outside world is closing.
My authenticity is being resurrected.
Taking back and reclaiming all those parts of me that I've compromised for so long,
That I've set aside,
Ignored,
And suppressed.
My authentic desires denied.
And I've given away my power for the sake of appeasing someone else.
I'm reclaiming it all.
I'm taking it all back.
I now look in the mirror and see beauty,
Power,
And strength.
All the things I strived so hard for others to be able to see in me.
I was waiting so long to receive validation and acceptance from the outside world,
From the people that I care about the most.
Was that what I was wanting?
Something in me said that that is the way to confirm that I'm a good person,
To strive for external validation.
But it was a never-ending pit.
The fangs of insecurity and powerlessness dug deep into my sense of confidence and power,
Deep into my solar plexus,
Causing me to bleed out my power.
I am a good person.
I am a beautiful,
Kind-hearted,
And giving person.
But I never felt enough.
I always felt like even my generosity and love weren't received in the right way.
I never felt appreciated or seen for who I truly am.
But now that my power has been freed from the tyrannous grasp of self-doubt and oppression,
I have returned to myself in all my wholeness.
I have awakened.
When I'm feeling down,
I no longer beat myself up or try to force myself into action.
Instead,
I slow down.
And indeed,
Sometimes I stop everything so that I can come to a place of sacred stillness where I can allow the mystical forces of the universe to start flowing through me and directing my healing.
And because I am signaling to the universe that I am willing to trust it more than I trust my familiar pattern of self-doubt and self-criticism,
The universe is flooding me with signals and guidance that are leading me to inspiration and healing.
I start to apologize to my sacred self for all of this time,
All of these years in which I failed to recognize the magnificence of my being.
I'm sorry,
I say to myself,
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
Thank you for being courageous enough to manifest on this physical plane at this specific point in time.
Thank you.
And I love you.
I love you for all of who you are.
I see you.
