The Power of Yes

September 4, 2006

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I also love using birth as a metaphor for life. Birth is an experience that you cannot truly “control”. You must let go in order for it to happen. You have to let go of worry and just trust the process. So I really enjoyed this article by Julie, this week’s guest and thought you might also.
The Power of Yes

I was 20 hours into labor. Exhausted, lost, fading. And I was only 3 centimeters dilated. If I knew one thing, it was that I couldn’t do this. I was ready to throw in the towel. I would simply let go of my intention to have a natural home birth. I’d go to the hospital, take some drugs, and have someone else get this baby out. Although this thought went against the grain of every fiber in my pre-labor being, it now felt like the only viable option.

When my midwife approached me, looking serious, I figured that we were as good as on our way there. Instead, she gave me a few other choices, never mentioning the “h” word. Of those choices, one was to “just get behind my labor and do it.”

As a life coach dedicated to helping women discover their personal power, and as an individual who thrives on personal growth, I latched right onto this option despite my exhaustion and fear. I knew I was stuck, but I didn’t know why or how to get out of it. When I shared this with Monica, she simply suggested I try saying yes.

Even today I don’t know what she meant exactly, but I took her very literally. With the next contraction I opened my mouth. “Yes,” it said. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.”

(“NO!” said the rest of me. “No, no, no no no no no.”)

“Yes!” Said my vocal chords, my tongue, my lips. “Yes!”

“No,” said the rest of me, my fear, my anger, my pain, my hesitancy, my tears, my blood. “No.”

“Yes,” said my trust. ”Yes.”

“No, I can’t,” whispered my menacing demons. “I can’t do this.”

“Yes,” said the obstinate, bull headed, determined grimy gritty girl of my childhood. “Yes, I can do this.”

“Yes!” all of me said suddenly, filled with knowing. “Yes! I am doing this. I am.”

Suddenly, I was all power, filled with strength, with knowing, with confidence.

It had taken only about ten minutes to overcome all the doubts and fears that had held me back, lingering in pain and only slightly dilated for over 20 hours. Less than five short and determined hours later, I gave birth to my baby girl.

As I look back on this experience, I know that if I could turn my labor around like that, I can do anything with the power of yes.

Reflect
Where in your life are you holding yourself hostage? What words are you using to disempower yourself?

Respond
Use “Yes” to make a change in your life. Do it consciously and out loud. Whenever you find yourself saying “no,” inundate that it with yeses. Watch your life transform.

Julie Nathanielsz, CPCC, ACC, is a life coach and owner of Realized Potential. She works predominantly with expectant and new mothers, helping them uncover their most powerful, courageous, and authentic selves before they hit the delivery room or the roof. http://www.realized-potential.com.

Posted by carrie | Filed Under Birth 

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