Halloween is indeed a scary holiday.
It features witches, ghosts, and gremlins
and the emotion of fear is prominent.
For some of us, Halloween’s hallmark symbols
are part of our daily lives.
October 31st feels like the other 364 days of the year.
Many of us live our lives from fear.
We are afraid of the unknown,
of what others might think and of making mistakes.
We play it safe, don’t speak up or
do not pursue our dream because it may not work out.
We are haunted by ghosts of the past-
those voices from others whose less than positive messages
we still hear.
These ghosts can be familiar or can be former leaders in organizations
whose shadows loom large, despite their absence.
The gremlin, our inner critic, is often prevalent.
We hear our gremlin’s voice as it tells us
we aren’t good enough, we’ll mess up, we’ll be found out.
And who do we think we are for trying ___________.
Our gremlin sabotages us and keeps us small.
Witches also abound.
We all have our inner witch
(and I am not talking Glenda).
It’s the person we become when we are
impatient, overwhelmed, frustrated, tired or running late.
Fear accompanies these characters and prevents us
from being our best and boldest selves.
We don’t take a risk, pursue the next big opportunity
or set a boundary.
In short, we don’t live out of love or desire.
Dreams and our inner spirit often die.
While Halloween may offer tricks and treats,
be aware of how it’s impacting you.
Are you living with its spirit daily?