Are your Passions Hiding in a Closet?

I want to share a story about a dear client of mine with you…

When I first met Jen, she described her home as “outdated, boring, empty, and dull.”

She’d resisted investing time and money into it because “What’s the point?” she said, “It’s just me and I don’t even know how long I am going to live here.” Have you ever felt like this? You don’t like what’s happening (in your home and/or your life), but you also feel hesitant and unmotivated to change it. Especially, when that change means investing time and money in yourself . . .

We dug a little deeper.

The morning of our first Authentic Design Intensive while doing a careful walk through of her space, Jen introduced me to her massive (and I mean massive, totally gorgeous, and impressive) wine collection that was living tucked away in a dark hallway closet. My curiosity was sparked and I wanted to know more…

{Cue flood gates opening, eyes sparkling, inspiration a-flowin’ . . . }

Jen lit up as soon as I asked about the wine collection. Her face changed, her body language shifted, there was immediately joy in the air- we had tapped into something. She went on to tell me that wine is one of her true passions. She loves drinking it, buying it, and talking about it. Her idea of a perfect day is piling into the car with her best girlfriends and heading to go vineyard-hopping in Napa Valley. This is a woman who loves all things wine. When Jen started opening up about her passion for wine, “outdated, boring, empty and dull,” were nowhere to be found. But when it came to her physical space, this gorgeous collection of wine and all her passion, radiance, and love for it were living locked away in a dark closet. Where no one could see it. Where Jen couldn’t feel it or connect with it. “I know,” she said. “I have been meaning to find a way to display my wine collection for years but I just haven’t done it.”

Hint: “I know I’ve been meaning to [insert well-intentioned, self-loving behavior or project] but I just haven’t done it yet” is never the whole story.

We dug a little deeper into why she had been keeping this amazing passion locked away in a closet. What Jen discovered was that there was significant connection between her hidden wine collection and the way she was showing up in her life. Her eyes got wide as this realization came to light. She was literally and figuratively hiding her passions in the closet. And she finally saw the ways she was hiding from the world, stuck in a constant cycle of fear and resistance. Fear of being seen for who she really is. Resistance to feeling vulnerable enough to share her true self with others. By unconsciously keeping these parts of herself hidden and locked away, she was not only blocking herself from making meaningful connections with others, but she was blocking herself from being supported and inspired by her own passions, interests, and desires. The wine in the closet was a metaphor for all the ways she’d been avoiding a connection with herself and her world. The hard work was done.

Awareness, all by itself, has an incredible way of making change happen.

Once Jen saw the metaphor between her space and her life, her resistance and procrastination didn’t hold the same power and she began to move forward. She bought a beautiful display case to preserve and show off her collection of wine.  She purchased gorgeous prints of vineyards to hang up around her home. She planned and hosted a wine party for her friends. Meanwhile (and this is the semi-magical part), as Jen started making these small changes inside her home, she also began to feel more alive, confident, and connected to herself outside her home. With her new awareness and inspired action, she is now able to examine other places she holds back or hides in her life and she has continued to bring more of herself and her aliveness to the surface. Yay! I love this story because so many of us are locking our passions in the closet. Whether they are actually physically living in a closet (like Jen’s wine collection) or locked away in a corner of your heart, they are hiding and it is important we start bringing them into the light. So now it’s your turn: Where are YOU hiding in your space and in your life?

Let’s not let the brightest parts of ourselves sit in a dark closet.              Click to tweet!

Take Action…

In your home: Look around – are your passions living in a closet? What have you tucked away and/or hidden? This is an invitation to literally open doors in your home and look “at” and “through” what may be hiding inside. In your heart: Allow your discoveries to expand as a metaphor in your life. What does the clutter, passion or that sentimental object represent? How does it point to an aspect of your life that is stuck, fearful, ashamed, lonely or just needs a little lovin? How can you bring this part of you closer to the surface? What’s one way you can shine a little brighter in your home? One piece of you that you can bring into the light? Display it, let go of it, or let’s deal with it!

In the comments below tell me one place you are hiding… in your space and/or in your life? And if you liked this post please share it with your friends!