It seems like I am very late to the party on this one, but I finally read Glennon Doyle’s book Untamed, (It was sitting somewhere in my pile of books to tackle – I suffer from Tzunduko – the Japanese phenomenon of having more books than you will ever read) and Wow! For those of us who have struggled with addiction and self-doubt, Doyle’s story of finding sobriety and learning to value herself was truly inspiring. Her journey to self-discovery is relatable and empowering, emphasizing the importance of confronting past traumas and accepting oneself as enough.
What stood out to me the most was Doyle’s message about dealing with our past baggage. She shows that there is no quick fix, and that we must confront the pain and discomfort of our past experiences to heal. Her story also reminds us that we do not have to compromise ourselves to fit into the expectations of others, and that we deserve to live our lives authentically and on our own terms. She had to feel the pain and discomfort of past experiences, and at times be very raw and open and honest, she had to face the fear of knowingly hurting her family, (at last initially) in order to be herself – ‘untamed’, and she had to go there anyway.
Glennon’s story reminds us that we are enough. You are enough – exactly as you are. She encourages us to stop compromising ourselves to fit into the expectations of others, and instead to look within and go after our dreams. She reminds us that we don’t have to be perfect to be valuable, and that we deserve to live authentically and on our own terms. Glennon also writes so eloquently about love, and just how complex it can be, sometimes blocked by various “boulders” such as addiction, fear, and shame. However, through sobriety and self-reflection, we can remove these boulders and allow love to flow freely once again. It’s important to note that we can’t remove these boulders for others; the removal is strictly between the individual and a higher power.
‘The Boulder can’t be moved by love, the removal is strictly between the ‘impeded’ one and God’
But we all have the power to change our lives and embrace who we truly are.
Her story is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the importance of self-love. She says that the ‘boulder of addiction’ blocked her love, but she got her ‘removal miracle’ in sobriety. – It removed the boulder so that love could flow again. I love that image, flowing love when the blockage of addiction has gone. Glennon agrees: Sobriety is about SO much more than stopping drinking, its about starting a whole new life of integrity and authenticity.
We can all find ourselves again, however tough our earlier traumas may have been.
You are your own source, your river is strong – Flow unimpeded’. Glennon Doyle
We all have the power to change our lives, to let go of the past, and to embrace the beauty of who we truly are. If you’re looking for inspiration and guidance check out The Sober Club where we focus not only on ditching the booze (some members have been sober for 7+ years) but on living that life we don’t want to escape from.
You may know that I work not only as a Sober / wellbeing coach but also as a therapist and Family Constellations practitioner, one of the phrases we use a lot in constellations is:
‘Its not what happened to you, its what you made it mean’
Many of us stay stuck, held back by limiting beliefs from the past, we can usually justify why we don’t feel we can love ourselves, or go after our dreams….because we didn’t get the parenting we needed, we didn’t get enough love…We are ‘people pleasers’, we put everyone else first… we were let down badly…But the beautiful thing is as Glennon says:
‘The miracle of grace is that you can give what you have never gotten’
We can ALL grow, move beyond whats holding us back…we can be ALL of who we are, fully ourselves…Untamed.
Join us for a Family Constellations Workshop in Herts – its a life changing day. Info here
Untamed – Stop pleasing, start living’ by Glennon Doyle. buy it here