Page 37 - Tracy Anderson Magazine - Fall 2021
P. 37

There comes a time in the life of a woman  When she no longer plays small so others can feel big
                              When she discards her old ways like tossed shoes in the   And when she swaps the role of victim for the role of
                              garbage                                 co-creator
                              When she shreds her list of “shoulds” and obligations
                              And when impossible expectations are burned in an   There comes a time in the life of a woman
                              incinerator                             When she unabashedly and boldly occupies her ultimate
                                                                      sovereignty
                              There comes a time in the life of a woman  When she finally feels ready to claim her space in the
                              When the approval of others once jewels now turn to   world
                              pennies in her sock                     And when she redefines compassion as unequivocal
                              When the hunt for another is now replaced by a hunt   self-love
                              for herself
                              And when parental tentacles of tradition no longer   There comes a time in the life of a woman
                              define her truth                        When she finally releases her childlike dependencies on
                                                                      others
                              There comes a time in the life of a woman  When she dares to rewrite a new mandate of living for
                              When her desire to fit in with the crowd dissolves  herself
                              When her manic compulsion to be perfect vaporizes  One that says:
                              And when her obsession to be voted popular eviscerates  I release unworthiness and fear
                                                                      I divorce servility and passivity
                              There comes a time in the life of a woman  I divest inauthenticity and enmeshment
                              When she simply says “no more”          I end the pretense of being someone
                              When facade, artifice, and guile leave her nauseated  I am not
                              And when righteousness, dogma, and superiority
                              repulse her                             And from now on I declare…

                              There comes a time in the life of a woman  I will ascend into my highest power
                              When she no longer fears conflict but faces it boldly like   I will embrace my greatest autonomy
                              a lioness                               I will celebrate my deepest worth
                              When she guards her authenticity as fearlessly as she   I will embody my fiercest courage
                              guards her babies                       and manifest the most authentic me
                              And when she drops the role of savior knowing she can
                              only save herself                       The time is now

                              There comes a time in the life of a woman  I am ready
                              When she no longer cowers in the shadows of her
                              unworthiness                            To awaken into my renaissance. ■


                                                        Excerpted from A Radical Awakening: Turn Power Into Pain,
                                                        Embrace Your Truth, Live Free, by Dr. Shefali. Reprinted with
                                                        permission from HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins
                                                        Publishers. Copyright © 2021.
 THE  TIME                                              Dr. Shefali received her doctorate in clinical psychology

                                                        from Columbia University, specializing in the integration of
 OF  THE  A W AKENED                                    Western psychology and Eastern philosophy. She is an expert
                                                        in family dynamics and personal development, teaching
                                                        courses around the globe. She has written five books, three of
                                                        which are New York Times best-sellers. Oprah Winfrey has
 WOMAN   Vlada Karpovich                                endorsed her work as revolutionary and life-changing. As an
                                                        international speaker, Dr. Shefali speaks at events around
                                                        the globe, spreading her message of conscious parenting and
                                                        mindful living. She also has a private practice where she
                                                        consults with families and couples.
 An empowering book excerpt, by Dr. Shefali.

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