What I learnt from watching the Wild Robot, and a weekend of tears
Navigating emotions and *the thing* that could be holding you back
Beautiful soul,
Recently, during a weekend where I cried pretty constantly, I watched the film The Wild Robot.
A quick note on the tears - Yes I’m ok. No, you don’t have to rescue me.
I’m a human being and I experience sadness. And there’s something so special and sacred about going fully into a feeling – it’s something that, after decades of pushing my emotions away, I actually treasure.
A lot of my work with clients is building the internal safety to experience emotions like this. We’re brilliant at suppressing them: maybe because we were punished or bullied for our feelings, or it wasn’t modelled to us.
We start saying I don’t want to put that on someone, It’s too much and the kicker: I’m fine. So, our emotions stay stuck. For a long time - really until I got into self-development work - I kept tears inside, because a part of me didn’t think it was ‘ok’ to be sad. Now, when it comes, I go all in.
I suppose you’ll be curious as to why I was crying, the truth is it was lots of things: how scary and disorientating I found driving to Lisbon alone, the immigration process, heartache, feeling lonely, grief for the life I thought I might have and don’t.
And we don’t always need to know why we feel the way we do. Our job is to let the energy move.
After the sadness came huge relief. Try it ;)
Back to the film.
If you haven’t seen it The Wild Robot is – well about a robot that ends up in the wild. There, a gosling unexpectedly ends up in her care (yes, the robot is a woman) and of course, she ends up going caring for the young goose as she teaches it to fly.
After a dark night of the soul type of moment she says this:
I know you all have instincts that keep you alive, but sometimes to survive we must become more than we were programmed to be.
Let me tell you why this hit me.
The work I’ve done with myself, and with clients, has been exactly this; becoming more than the programming we received from the world.
Especially ‘good girl’ programming which includes and is not limited to…
Asking for permission
Apologising for yourself - sorry, sorry, sorry
Deflecting compliments
Not being too loud
Not being too emotional
Not swearing
Essentially take all the magnetic vitality of your being and put in into this box.
Then we wonder why we don’t always feel good, we’re not confident and second-guess ourselves.
Over time we adjust our shape so much that anything else feels unnatural. Then, we wonder why we struggle with confidence, second-guess our decisions and doubt ourselves.
Here’s the thing my love: there is another way.
We can ALL make a choice to become more than our programming.
Not to become someone else, but to be more of ourselves.
To return to that calling inside.
This might be letting yourself cry, be angry, or finally saying the thing. Stopping doing the thing that everyone expects you to do and doing what you want. Whatever it looks like I’m cheering you on.
Thanks for being here and being you,
All my love,
Jo
PS - for all my beautiful podcast listeners there’s no episode this week, but I’ll be back soon ;)
C O A C H I N G
If you’re ready to become your most free and joyful self – apply now to work with me.