Difficult Conversations

In the past month I have had to have a lot of "difficult" conversations with some friends and family members.  I say "difficult" because this is new ground for me. For many years I did not want to have these potentially conflict containing conversations because they were uncomfortable for me.  Instead I would keep my feelings to myself, trying to resolve them in my own mind and often (in hindsight) hanging onto a lot of anger and resentment (quite often directed at myself).  On my journey to connect with my true self, I realized this was not being authentic. I had created a persona which I believed in my mind was really ME, but indeed it was not.  Striving to be perfect (my version of perfect) had become a win at all costs proposition.  My competitive nature (mainly with myself) set the bar high and I was only too happy to play the game.  But I considerably underestimated the energy required for this sport and thus began my quest to better use this energy to be true to myself. Slowly but surely I am learning to have these "difficult" conversations, which are really just about me sharing my TRUE feelings with another in an honest and straightforward manner.  Not taking anything personally, not trying to change anyone's opinion and not being attached to the outcome. While I still sometimes come away feeling conflicted (this Libra girl much prefers Harmony), I always know that I have been authentic and ultimately that is what is important to me.  The struggle to not allow another to affect how we feel about ourselves is real and often life long, but it does not have to hold us hostage.  Living authentically in as many moments as possible allows us to shine our own unique light and as those moments become more and more frequent so our life becomes brighter and brighter!