- Our society nurtures the illusion that all the rewards go to the people who
tly.
ou; you only have to
become quiet enough to hear them.- For when I can love all of me, I will love all of you.
The Best Way to Get Started with Debbie Ford
- Whatever we refuse to recognize about ourselves has a way of rearing its
head and making itself known when we least expect it.
are perfect. But many of us are finding out that trying to be perfect is cos- Remember, all the answers you need are inside of y
The best place to get started with Debbie Ford is to read her book, The Dark Side
of the Light Chasers. In the beginning of the book, she immediately defines it
focus:
Most of us set out on the path to personal growth because at some
point the burden of our pain becomes too much to bear. The Dark
Side of the Light Chasers is about unmasking that aspect of ourselves
which destroys our relationships, kills our spirit, and keeps us from
fulfilling our dreams. It is what the psychologist Carl Jung called the
shadow. It contains all the parts of ourselves that we have tried to
t
acceptable to our family, friends, and most importantly, ourselves.
The dark side is stuffed deeply within our consciousness, hidden from
ourselves and others. The message we get from this hidden place is
simple: there is something wrong with me. I’m not okay. I’m not
lovable. I’m not deserving. I’m not worthy.s to
us”. She explains, “The purpose of doing
shadow work is to become whole. To end our suffering. To stop hiding ourselves
from ourselves. Once we do this we can stop hiding ourselves from the rest of the
world.”
According to Ford, “By facing these aspects of ourselves, we become free to
experience our glorious totality: the good and the bad, the dark and the light. It is
hide or deny. It contains those dark aspects that we believe are noSimply put, we all have a dark side, and if deny our dark side, it will cast a
“shadow” that will negatively impact our lives. In her book, Ford teaches us how
to confront these “shadows.” You can achieve harmony and “let your own light
shine through” by owning every aspect of yourself. To Ford, “owning” mean
“acknowledge that a quality belongs to