My mother often feared for my safety. Not because I was a thrill-seeker or purposefully did ‘dangerous’ things – though I did love to ski fast and swim deep and climb mountains and… okay, drive fast too — but to me, they never felt dangerous. Okay, well, maybe climbing mountains did while I was on the way up or down, but at the top? All danger vanished in the exhilaration of being atop a mountain seeing the beauty and wonder of the world spread out before me.

My mother wanted me to take the safe path. To keep to the well-known trails and to not deviate from what she knew would keep me out of what she perceived to be ‘harm’s way’.

I didn’t like her path. I wanted to create my own.

I’d love to say that I did it with grace and ease. But, the fact is, there were many, many bumps in the road. There were countless bruises and scrapes from falling down and knocking into things I didn’t see because I was walking around with my eyes closed. And, there were mistakes I made again and again because I kept thinking it was someone else’s fault, instead of seeing I was causing my fall because I kept thinking that if a road had a different name, it would be a different journey.

It took me a long time to realize that no matter what road I was on, the one person who was always there with me was me, myself and I. If I didn’t believe in myself, if I lacked confidence in my ability to choose the right path for me, or if I chose to turn a blind eye to the curves ahead or the potholes in my way, it didn’t matter if the road was well-travelled or well-lit. If my eyes were closed, or my heart shut down, or my senses turned off, I was bound to fall down.

Learning to believe in myself, to walk with my eyes and heart wide-open, has been a life-long journey. Learning to trust that I am my best friend and life coach and guide, still takes practice. Learning to listen to my heart, my gut, my intuition and all my senses, to ‘feel’ the world around me is part of learning to navigate this life in my own creative way.

November Woman is a reminder that no matter what path we’re on, if we’re on it because we think it’s easier to ‘just go with the flow’ of other’s choices and ideas, then we’re bound to feel the disappointments and ennui of not living our life to the fullest. She wants us to remember we are not born to live in the shadows of someone else’s light. We are born to shine. Bright. Fierce. Brilliant.

Life is not a guarantee of easy. It’s an invitation to explore paths unknown, to trust in ourselves and to walk with integrity, humility, kindness and Love as our guiding lights.

My mother always wanted to keep me safe.

For me, being safe isn’t about what path I’m on, it’s about trusting myself enough to light every path I’m on with the values she taught be. About the importance of kindness. The goodness of humanity. And above all, the power of Love to transform darkness and light.

Let us all carry belief in ourselves, belief in humanity and belief in the power of Love. Let us all light up the world with loving-kindness and the courage to be ourselves in a world that celebrates our differences and the many paths we take to create a better world for everyone.