Name your elephants

working through avoidance and fear

When I began unpacking the stories in my life that made me feel small and powerless, I realized they felt like gigantics elephants in the room that I was avoiding. Some I pretended didn’t exist. I saw them, but I was deeply scared of them so I buried my head in the sand. Some I didn’t clearly know were there, but I could feel something was off. The specifics were vague, so I ignored those “off” feelings. Some were enormous blind spots that I couldn't see because I was too close to the situation, yet deep down I knew things were not ok. If I had listened to that knowing, I could have avoided some elephant sized learning experiences. 

While elephants are large and they have the capacity to kill you in a stampede, there is another side to these majestic creatures. They have the potential to be tremendous teachers. Elephants have an amazing sense of hearing and vibration detecting in their skin. They pick up infrasonic messages in their feet and trunks, which allows them to feel the stomping of other elephants miles away - warning them of danger.  Humans don't have the exact same capacity for vibrational detection as elephants, but we are clearly armed with an intuition that we have been taught to ignore. Elephants can teach us a lot about the wisdom of paying attention to our bodies. 

Ignoring my elephants led me into toxic relationships on a personal and professional level. It left me feeling the need to escape from life. It left me stressed out and feeling small. It left me sick and exhausted. When I started identifying and naming the elephants they became less scary. In fact the size of the elephants started to shrink. As they did, I was able to step into my power. 

I began to see patterns and make choices for my future that would get me out of the rut of pretending and into a life of integrity. I was able to address unwanted situations. It took courage. It took finding compassionate support. It took tuning into the wisdom of my body.

Naming your elephants is a process. The actions you take to identify them may not look like what you expect. You may need to slow down. You may need to leave something behind. You may need to access your joy. You may need to listen more. You may need to speak up for yourself or others. You may need to remember how to laugh. You may need to build new networks. Only you will know the answer to what lies ahead. My job is to be your partner so you can ignite your creativity. 

WHAT STORIES KEEP YOU FEELING SMALL AND POWERLESS?

THESE ARE YOUR ELEPHANT STORIES.

I INVITE YOU TO NAME, BEFRIEND & SHRINK THEM.