I’m giving the little girl that lives inside me a Voice. In my blog, The Power of a Story, I talked about how when I realized I have a message to share with the world, my inner child was terrified. Based on her life experience, she’d learned that if she stood up for what was important to her, the people she loved would leave her and she’d be all alone. That same fear was manifesting itself in my adult experience. If I hadn’t recognized it and dealt with it, it easily could have held me back from having my unique positive impact in the world.

I’m writing a chapter for a book project that’s a compilation of women’s stories. It’s called Women on a Mission: Stories of Trials, Tribulations and Triumphs. When my friend and colleague, Deidre Trudeau asked me if I’d like to contribute a chapter, she listed the benefits to my business. Finally, I just told her that what I found really appealing was that I could honor my (inner) little girl and give her a voice by sharing her story.

As I’ve been working on my chapter, though, I’ve come to realize that my participation in the project means a lot more than just giving my little girl a voice. I realize now that it’s also about letting other people know that they may have a little child in them that gets afraid and would keep them from Moving Forward in their positive impact. The fear is real and comes from real-life experience. It’s just that it’s usually out of proportion to the threat they’re actually experiencing today.

I’ve found it necessary for the current adult version of me to build a loving relationship with that younger, more vulnerable version of myself. In fact, I even wrote her a letter where I told her she doesn’t need to be afraid anymore and that I’ve got her and I will take care of her. I’m finding it helps quell those deep-rooted fears that would otherwise immobilize me from moving forward.

Honestly, I avoided the whole inner child thing for a long time. Nonetheless, I’ve found that acknowledging my little girl and working to “re-parent” her has helped a lot. It also helps me understand where those seemingly crazy fears are coming from and it gives me a way to work through them.

Many thanks go to my husband, John, who has covered the blogging for me lately. It gave me space to write the first draft of my chapter for this book. It’s also given me space to deal with those fears as they’ve been coming up. I will let you know when my little girl has gotten her voice when the book is released this summer.

So I just wanted to write this blog to encourage you to recognize when you’ve got fears coming up regarding making a difference in the lives of other people. They may be rooted deep in your childhood. Being aware of the feelings and where they’re coming from provides an opportunity for healing. Even if it feels silly at first, it’s worthwhile to talk with your inner child to let you know you’ve got their back. Those fears don’t have to hold you back if you’re willing to deal with them.