Anne with an “E” and An Empowering Quote from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre
Dear Reader,
This winter, I began watching the Netflix miniseries called Anne with an “E.”
Having no idea of its contents, the story of Anne of Green Gables was about to rock my world.
One of the most powerful quotes Anne says, in one of the first episodes of the miniseries, was from the book, Jane Eyre:
“If all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends.”
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
When I heard Anne say this on the show, I was struck. I too have had a similar thought.
You see, back in about 2012, my first life coach presented an inquiry to me. As we spoke about the change in our professional coaching relationship and personal friendship, she asked me: “Even if I didn’t care for you, would you know that you are still cared for.” Read more about this here. Never having been confronted with this idea before, it sparked a huge realization in me that continues to evolve, unfold and develop to this day: I am loved and I am cared for, no matter what!
Need help on your journey?
As I went through a life coaching certification program that same year, there was a point in the program where I started to feel like an outsider in our group. Our online cohort had a community platform where we could answer questions, post inquiries and connect with fellow students. For some reason, it seemed like people stopped commenting on my posts and I felt ignored and not included, where others seemed to be getting a ton of attention. Now, I know this may have just been my perception at the time, however, it sparked an incredible moment of empowerment within myself. At the lowest point of this time frame, I remember having this thought: “If no one in the whole world loved me or cared for me, would I still stand up and say what I have to say?”
The answer was a resounding “YES!” inside myself!
Sometimes one of the scariest things in the world is the thought that I won’t be accepted, wanted, loved, appreciated, acknowledged for all the good things I’ve done in my life.
Do you ever have these same feelings?
From what I’ve learned, though, the most important thing is to know that, no matter what, I am loved and cared for, you are loved and cared for, we are loved and cared for no matter what! It may not be by the people we want it to be from. But, it’s from a Source far greater than all of us combined, and it can come from ourselves too!
This I know IS true!
How about you?
Empowering Questions:
What do you need in order to know that you truly are cared for, no matter what?
What muscle inside of yourself do you need to build to rest in the comfort of knowing that you are a part of and belong to this Life no matter what others say or what you think about yourself?
Share your comments below. I want to know how you feel or what you think about this important topic!
With Love and Aloha Nui Loa,
p.s. Get the Free to Be ebook, plus weekly content to inspire, uplift and empower your journey, all *free*. Click here.
p.p.s. Need more resources? Head over to the coaching page for ways you can continue your healing journey.
Very good post.
In my own research, fear of being devalued by others, with the subsequent feeling of anticipated shame, characterizes women much more than men, and often holds them back from taking the risk of becoming all that they can be.
Judy, thanks for this response! Do you think that trauma has a large part to play in this behavior or attitude regardless of male or female who may exhibit it?