A friend of mine who hailed from Chicago told me that every Friday night the locals would gather at a nearby pavilion. Someone would literally stack soapboxes up on the stage next to the open mike. And for five minutes, you could hop up on a soapbox and rant about anything that made you ridiculously, insanely, out-of-your-mind crazy.
They called it Soapbox Night.
And if I had to stand on a soapbox right now, I’d get crazy about why-in-the-world it’s okay to discredit, cripple, and nullify another human being. I just don’t get it.
We don’t live on Planet Earth. We seem to be living on Planet Invalidation.
This is the #1 reason why people get stuck … stuck in status quo, stuck going through the motions, stuck in the “what am I supposed to do with my life?” questions … because we live on a planet where it’s okay to give unwarranted advice, make hurtful and very vocal judgments, and disrespect each other.
And we end up injuring each other at a VERY deep, spiritual level.
What ever happened to inspiring each other? To supporting each other? To helping each other grab life by the avocados and shout to the heavens “I’m heeeeeeeeere!” as we excitedly wait for our life’s unique assignments!
This is why I consider myself a spiritual warrior. Because I’m desperately fighting for what it takes to live the life we’re meant to live! It’s my own personal revolution!
That’s why I work with extraordinary women with big-ass dreams who are ridiculously unsatisfied with status quo … to help them overcome invalidation and make their vision an inspiring reality!
It starts with the soapbox issue. One person stands on the soapbox and makes a strong, provocative statement about what’s broken in the world … and a commitment to turn it around.
Then it becomes like a flash mob. That one person on the soapbox ignites a core group of five or six other people who think it would be fabulous to gather at Grand Central Station and inspire others. Then they arouse a couple of hundred others who love the idea, and just need to know the steps. Suddenly everyone’s in sync with their Soul Tribe, and then thousands of others become enthused with the energy!
Now that creates a revolution!
Having a soapbox issue – a situation where you say “That’s not okay …” – is the first step. But unless you’re willing to make a change, it’s just a rant. Right?
Are you ready to move from “rant” to “let’s change the world”? Is this revolution-thing really for you?
By definition, a revolution is “a sudden or momentous change”. Or you could even think of a revolution as one complete turn (as in a return to self … a return to love … a return to who you’re meant to be).
Are you ready to be the you you’re meant to be, to live the life you’re meant to live? It might take a bold gesture!
I’ve discovered that the secret to waking up excited every day is a deep desire to change the world. I wasn’t always that courageous, though…
In my previous L.B.R. (Life Before Revolution), I used to just sit with question marks circling overhead. I was puzzled. I would always ask: What am I doing wrong? Why does my life feel so miserable? Is this how it’s supposed to be?
And then I had one of those duh moments where I wondered, “What if it’s not me?” That’s when I began to get courageous and look at the idea that I actually did have a very bright light! But I was being invalidated … I was being suppressed … I was being squashed like a bug. And when I could begin to see that I hadn’t done anything wrong … that sometimes abuse is just abuse and it’s 100% o-k-a-y to point the finger squarely at the abuser, I began to take back control. And life began to change.
And as it changed, I set off to study this idea of spiritual injury … that abuse can run so deep that it can actually, literally, and completely Shatter. Your. Soul.
That’s when my Brave Factor began to rise.
As I started asking others about their experiences, especially where they had experienced injury at a deep spiritual level (often by their minister or within their church, which is a more common experience than we realize) … boy, whew!, that’s when the flood gates started to open!
The more enraged I became over this, the more willing I became to stack up those soapboxes really, really high and stand at the top (where, ironically, I was closer to heaven!) and make a promise to help people who had suffered a spiritual injury!
And a Revolution was born.
Now I can barely contain my energy for the work I’m doing in the world! I feel like there’s electricity in everything I do. I’ve changed my way of surviving in the world and made the decision to grow up (and by that I mean, we can grow up to our greatness!). Now I’m focused on creating a movement for extraordinary women who want to overcome invalidation and spiritual injury … who want to find their passion & purpose again … who want to stand on the tops of soap boxes with me and sing out, “I want to get me back!!!” … and who want to excavate their big-ass dreams and make those dreams an inspiring reality!
It’s bigger than me. It’s become epic.
Know what happens when you make something bigger, something greater? You get plugged in. You become connected to this incredible energy that’s never before seemed available. WOW.
What’s your soapbox issue? What creates high-voltage for you, generating so much electricity around you that people step back and say, “Whoa!” when they feel your energy? (Or step forward and say, “I have to be near you!!!”) And how can you create momentum to further ignite your revolution?
The biggest advantage to creating a revolution is that it gives you an insanely high amount of natural energy. Working on a revolution will make you want to fly out of bed every morning and look for what’s next. If you’re like me, you may even find yourself lying in bed at night obsessively flipping through TiVo channels because you’re so inspired by your own vision but know you need to wind down and go to sleep already!
So if creating a revolution that’s likely to change the world is so invigorating, why isn’t everyone doing it? I think more people would, with a little commitment to changing what’s wrong in the world … and a little know-how.
First, let’s go back to the definition of a revolution: a momentous change. What would that involve?
If we’re going to use words like “profound”, “utterly devoted”, and “influential force” … then you know you’ll be tested, right? I often say that you’ll know you’re on the right path because your palms will sweat and your ego will scream, “Who do you think you are???”
Believe me, when I looked at the topic of “spiritual injury”, do you think that question didn’t come up? Oh, Baby!
The best advice I can give you is to fearlessly walk your path. You’ll know it’s the right path if it aligns with your values … if it fulfills your passions … if it challenges you. What’s the challenge? You’re being asked to align with your spiritual self. You’re being asked to live the life you’re meant to live!
Here’s a secret I’ve learned: Playing small is what gets us stuck in the first place.
Is that the life you’re meant to live? Ummmmm …. no!
So be willing to brainstorm lots of ideas around this thing you’re so passionate about. And be willing to start over about a hundred times. Do-over’s are allowed! The more you knead the dough on your vision, the more you’ll be able to distill the best stuff. It’s by taking just one step forward, one more small action, that the right path will emerge for you. Just be willing to take one next step. The heavens will part and the angels will sing!
It might start out with maybe’s and “I’m-not-sure” head scratches and even a few “there’s-no-way-I-can-do-this!” moments. But you won’t be able to let go of it. The possibilities will nag at you. The vision will pull at you. Relentlessly.
Months may go by and you’ll realize you have more clarity than ever, and your vision is refined even more.
It’s through this one step forward, one step forward, one step forward, that the path evolves. Don’t wait for perfection. And don’t wait for an epiphany before you start. Because this thing will be bigger than you are, and it’s gonna take some getting used to! Your perfect path will be found in the filthy, grimy, excruciatingly painful steps as you move forward one baby step at a time. (Sorry. But it may produce absolute torture and mental anguish. Just know that’s normal.)
As you take your first baby steps, you’ll probably have about a zillion questions. So let’s harness the power of good questions, before the doubtful questions have a chance to enter in.
Here are a few to get you started:
Creating a revolution can be a big thing. But it can also be a small thing, in relative terms. One thing I know for sure … there aren’t too many people out there that can teach you how to create your own revolution or how to create an empire. (Just Google “how to create an empire” and you’ll see.)
Remember that even if you’re revolution-minded, it’s the small things you do every day that make a big difference.
Momentous change that impacts the world is an amazing idea, but it’s also how you live your life on a daily basis that matters. Being aligned with who you are and what you stand for is an integrity position that others will be watching very, very closely in your every move. So please, please, I’m begging you to align with your integrity. It’s the smallest things that create the possibility for huge change.
It’s not just having a vision for the future. It’s being the change you want to see in the world. (Mahatma Gandhi is credited for saying this, but some people say it’s been paraphrased. Nevertheless, it’s a fabulous example of how one revolutionary thought made a difference!)
So I’m me, and you’re you, and here we are in this moment … let’s agree that change is possible. It starts right now.
Finding out why you’re here and what you’re supposed to do with your life isn’t about the finding-part, but creating a revolution that suits you. When you ask yourself, “What is my purpose?” you’re asking, “Who do I want to be and how can I create a vision that will make a difference on this planet?”
So if you feel like something’s missing in life, but you can’t put your finger on it … if you’re looking to move beyond mediocrity so you can make a difference while you’re here on this earth … then join our community of highly productive and interesting women, where you can become the amazing YOU that you’re meant to be, living the amazing life that you’re meant to live!
Right now … this is your invitation to create your own revolution.
You can start with our all-new Interactive Passion Test!
Rémy Chaussé
The Get UNstuck Revolution!™
Creator of the Unique Passion Blueprint™
(do you have a business you love?)