Allowing Ourselves to Flourish

By Ida Rentoul Outhwaite

In the midst of writing our book together, we came across something that really spoke to our hearts: "God does not set us up to fail. He sets us up to flourish." What a wonderful thought to keep in mind.

As we go through life, we can try to learn more each day about who we really are. Part of this process involves reflecting on what our insecurities are and where they came from. As we become aware of them, we can work on letting them go and allowing the best parts of ourselves to shine.

Ida Rentoul Outhwaite's illustrations are just extraordinary. Born in Australia in 1888, she showed a gift for drawing at a very young age and was said to have copied images from the walls of her nursery. Her mother, Annie, and her father, a professor at the University of Melbourne, decided against enrolling her in art school as they wanted her brilliant imagination to have free rein.

Most of Ida's drawings are of fairies floating on air. They are delicate, ethereal and perhaps too romantic for some tastes. But when we look at them, what we see is freedom: freedom from the lack of faith in ourselves that holds us back. These images show us what it feels like to let go of old fears and move forward with a lighter spirit and a belief in all that we are.

Begin working with your insecurities and letting them go. Trust that it will be okay to open new doors, take some risks and allow yourself to be all that you can be.

We all need to allow ourselves to show the world all that we are. And allow ourselves the freedom to feel like we're floating on air as we go through life.

By Ida Rentoul Outhwaite

Release the Fear

This post marks the beginning of something new for us. For almost a year we've invested ourselves, and every moment we could find, into writing our first book together. The Gift of a Spiritual Practice is now complete and available to readers.

We've tried to put the best of ourselves into this project. As we've written about reclaiming lost connections to self and Spirit, we've had to find the courage to put ourselves out there. The completed book brings warm feelings of accomplishment and joy. But feelings of trepidation and fear have recently crept into the picture.

The doubting has begun. Was what we created good enough? Will it truly be of help to others? Did we reveal too much of ourselves?

Fear is part of being human. We need to allow ourselves to feel that fear while, at the same time, releasing it and moving forward. Every single journey begins with a decision to take that first step. Feel the fear, but don't let it stop you.

Neither one of us are big fans of 2012 pop music. But we find the song Firework by Kate Perry very inspirational and spot on.