How to Become the Great Lover of Your Life

The following is a guest post by Dr. Shannon Gulbranson.

Are you a great lover of yourself? Of your life? Of your life’s work?

If not, then why not? Why not now?

The first step to take in becoming the great lover of your life is to clearly and courageously define your desires— especially the ones you’re most passionate about.

Often, we play the subtle and many times unconscious role of the damsel in distress in our lives, not realizing that this role is that of a victim and is intensely destructive to our power, passion and all possibility.

Life can quickly become a pit or prison instead of a palace and happily ever after.

When was the last time you felt fully engaged in your life? What would loving your life and your life’s work look and feel like for you? Would you be willing to redefine loving your life and how you see it?

My life changed when I stopped telling a “poor me” story and instead told my story from the perspective of the writer, not a character. I no longer chose to be the damsel in distress, while pretending to play the part of the powerful leading lady. Instead, I became the leading lady in my own story, while living a new role of love, life, lessons and legacy. This new storyteller no longer pretends to be anything that she is not, nor does she tell a story that she doesn’t choose to live.

Now that’s a love story, filled with a romantic adventure in healing!

I started to live this new story by beginning the journey of dating myself well many years ago. You can too!

To uncover your desires, it’s important to identify the specific syndromes that cover up the real you— your desires, heart and soul. They are merely symptoms of a greater cause and they affect almost every woman at some point in her life. This is especially true if she has bought into the cultural model that perpetuates the “Cinderella syndrome,” which can end up leaving her disappointed, disengaged and possibly divorced.

Thus, progressing to the “disengagement syndrome”, which often leads to the “poor me syndrome.” And all this only after speeding through the “superwoman syndrome” that leaves her feeling broken, exhausted and often broke— physically, emotionally and financially.

From my own experience, trials and triumphs, the only cure for these seemingly incurable syndromes is truth that cures from within. Yes, it’s possible. However, in order to heal, we must feel it. Ouch!

This truth will help you rewrite your “poor me” story and replace it with your “rich me” story of truth. It will allow you to love and live uncovered, unafraid, unashamed, unapologetic and unconditionally loved.

That’s a lifelong love affair that I like to call “womancing yourself.”