In nearly all my sessions with my wonderful client's there is a definite pattern that comes across and that is the challenges they have with uncovering the shadow sides of themselves. Recognising why you have a shadow side and how this has caused you to create an outer shell is the first step to reclaiming your power. The reasons you may have created this outer shell could be to hide aspects of yourself from the world that you find distasteful and, often you may do this to avoid ridicule, avoid being judged or to avoid facing your fears.

The fact is though, that you are preventing yourself from living in your truth and shining your light on the world. You have gifts and qualities that are unique only to you. If you are to see yourself as whole and complete and reclaim your power then you need to shed the outer shell in order to uncover the gold within you.

It takes a great deal of energy to hide something from the world and when you finally allow these truths about yourself to surface, you will be free and, you will have excess energy to spend on your personal development and achieving your goals and dreams. The secrets you hide within will strip you of your authenticity and others will pick up on this in your body language and in what you say and think about yourself.

The aspects that you are endeavouring to cover up and hide will prevent you from creating the life you want. A while back a client came to me because she felt lost and alone. As it turns out she had been unsuccessful in achieving any goals she dreamed for her future, she was still single, in debt, and estranged from her family. She considered many of her family and friends to be dreamers and losers and she didn't feel she could associate with many people because nobody seemed to click with her. In our sessions she was able to realise that she saw herself as a dreamer and a loser and, even though she had hidden this part of herself she was projecting this on to the world the world was mirroring it back to her which resulted in failed business's, increased debt, and loneliness. Once my client was able to see this she was then able to crack the outer shell and peel it back bit by bit. By embracing this part of herself she reclaimed her power and was now free to be successful in business, get out of debt, and reunite with her family.

What you see in others will be a reflection of yourself therefore if you find someone to be lazy, take a look within and find that part of you that demonstrates these qualities. A while back this realisation hit me head on. For a long time I had been experiencing a lot of frustration over some of my partner's behaviours such as the way he always left external doors unlocked or left his clothes lying on the floor of the bedroom. I saw him as lazy and forgetful and it never occurred to me that these could actually be qualities that I also possessed until one day he came into me and told me that he was fed up with me always leaving the roller door open when he had so many tools and valuable items stored in the garage. I was shocked and initially felt a little peeved at his accusations and then, it hit me and I had a bit of a chuckle to myself. After this epiphany, I walked into our bedroom and round to my side of the bed only to see my pile of clothes on the floor that I was collecting for the wash. I had another chuckle to myself as I realised I had uncovered my own laziness and forgetfulness and I could choose to ignore or accept this part of me. I chose to accept it and move on which not only allowed me to be free it also allowed me to save the energy that I spent on getting frustrated and channel it into activities that served and supported me.

By going within and asking what it is that is causing you to feel angry, frustrated, guilty, jealous or whatever it may be for you will assist in uncovering your shadow side which then creates an awareness from which you can choose to step out from your outer shell and fully embrace who you are. If you are not living the life you want then maybe it is because of some aspects of yourself that you are hiding from the world. Are you hiding the gold that lies within? Are you keeping yourself from experiencing the life you deserve? Are you ready to uncover the truth?

Susan Briggs holds a Diploma in Life Coaching and is a Certified Hypnotherapist, ACT Therapist and NLP Practitioner. Owner of Yes U Can 4 Women, Susan is passionate about assisting women to create the life they want. For more information phone 0430 118 733, email; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit the website at; www.yesucan4women.com.au