Hiii friends,

I feel like I've had a breakthrough this week.

It's a lesson I've learned before (and I'm sure I'll have to learn it again at some point), but for now I'll bask in the freedom I'm feeling on the other side of it.

Sometimes I'll get stuck in a loop of needing to prove my worth, desperate to have people recognize me as smart. And it's a losing game. You can't possibly know everything. There's no way to understand everything without context. Things change. I know this. I know it's okay to learn as you go... but when I think I've said something wrong, if I didn't grasp something quickly enough, or when I feel misunderstood, that compassion can disappear.

Trying to prove I'm smart requires me to be "on" all the time. It's unsustainable.

But this week I came across something that snapped me out of it: studies show that the heart's electromagnetic field is measurably stronger (5000 times) than the brain's. And it reminded me of something I already know in my bones: It's my heart that people recognize about me.

Unlike intelligence (which I can get overly sensitive about), my heart isn't something that I have to prove. It's something I am. Loving, accepting, present. Even when I misspeak. Even when I get it wrong.

I can spiral trying to prove my brainwaves are strong, trying to be understood or trying to always get it right. But I know my heart is good. My intentions are pure. And when I let my heart speak for itself, I don't have to fight for space. Space opens up for me.

Exploration Prompts

Take a few minutes with these, and see what opens up:

• What ways are you trying to prove yourself, and how you could relax into your true essence instead?
• What are your natural talents, and how can you lean into those right now?
• Where are you relying on someone else's approval to validate your worth?

xoxo