This week, I was watching an interview between Louise Hay, Founder of Hay House and absolute guru in the self-help and healing sector and Nick Ortner, Founder of The Tapping Solution.

“Tapping” is used to refer to Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT for short. It’s an ancient healing modality that uses the meridians of the body in conjunction with the amygdala in our brain. The amygdala is the part of the brain associated with fight, flight and freeze. 

The idea of tapping on the meridians with your fingertips whilst acknowledging what’s not working has been scientifically proven to help people release past unconscious memories and help them to move forward. 

Nick asked Louise what she thought about people who believed you shouldn’t acknowledge the negative things in your life when tapping.

Louise responded, “You have to see the dirt before you can clean it. If you want to clean an oven, you have to see how dirty it is.” 

This resonated with me because much of the recent self-help literature focuses on the Law of Attraction and only thinking good thoughts. 

Whilst I agree with thinking and speaking about the story we want to create, Louise’s comment also rang true for me, especially when I think of the work I do coaching clients and facilitating my Leading Yourself and Leading Others program.

We have to become self-aware before we can choose to change anything. Sometimes this awareness comes in the form of feedback from others. 

My message to you this week is to encourage you to be open to looking at the dirt in your life. Look at what’s not working and accept it. Take a really good look so you know and understand the extent of the job you have before you and then, if you choose, clean it up.