Heal Yourself, Heal The World

Heal Yourself, Heal The World

• Lissa Rankin

The world is deeply in need of healing. Civil wars are breaking out in countries across the globe. Children are starving. Global warming is turning natural disasters into catastrophes, destroying our habitats, and killing our animal species. The global economic crisis is destroying lives and breaking apart countries. Rainforests are disappearing. Soldiers are killing civilians and bragging about it. Women around the world are oppressed, abused, silenced, and killed if they dare to step into their power.

And it’s not just the world out there that’s in need of healing. Things are tough right here in our own country. Our teachers and priests are molesting our youth. Serial killers are attacking our women. Families are disintegrating. Unemployment is skyrocketing. People are dying of cancer. And many of us feel so pressured to be perfect, to be Superhuman, to keep it all together and to live up to society’s expectations for us, that we’ve lost touch with each other, ourselves, and our capacity to be forces of healing in the world.

The world is full of visionary healers longing to save the world. And my vision is to help them. I seem to be attracting visionaries like a magnet, and my goal is to shine a light on what those visionaries are doing in order to amplify their ability to realize their healing visions.

In addition to mentoring visionaries (read more about the mentoring services I offer here), I also feature the work of healing visionaries on OwningPink.com, write about these visionaries in my books, and tweet and Facebook events they’re hosting. I dream of one day running a retreat center and integrative medicine practice where those visionaries can lead workshops and practice their healing arts. And maybe someday I’ll even have my own TV show. Just call me Dr. Oprah…

Over the past three years, I’ve talked to a LOT of healing visionaries and I’ve become fascinated with what makes us tick. So many of us share similar struggles:

We feel:

• Lonely in our quest to heal the world
• Frustrated with the resistance we feel from those who aren’t ready to hear our message yet
• Challenged to pay the bills while spreading the word
• Pressured by publishers, publicists, and TV producers to get in a box, dumb it down, and compromise our message so it’s easier to “sell”
• Isolated from other healing visionaries who view us as competitors, rather than collaborators
• Frustrated with trying to market what we do in ways that don’t make us feel like we’re selling out
• Impatient that our message isn’t being shouted around the world fast enough
• Challenged with learning how to set boundaries with those in our communities so we can fill ourselves up first in order to heal the world

Every single visionary I’ve met, even the ones who have published New York Times bestsellers, relate at least one of these struggles, and often every one of them. Yet, they feel like they’re the only visionary who has ever faced such struggles.

As healing visionaries, it’s in our blood to give until we’re depleted – emotionally, financially, spiritually, physically – and yet, if we bleed ourselves dry, we can’t possibly help others to the degree of magnitude we desire.

It’s like the oxygen masks in airplanes. We can’t truly love, heal, and care for others until we nurture ourselves.

Just to be clear, when I’m talking about health and healing, I’m talking about more than you might think. Sure, good nutrition, daily exercise, eight hours of sleep, and taking your vitamins are a wonderful foundation for living a healthy life, but I’d argue they’re the least important part of being a wholly healthy, healed woman.

Although healthy bodies will certainly support us in our globe-changing efforts, you’ll need more than that to live a vital life. I’m talking about healing any toxic relationships, any hostile work life, any thwarted creativity, any spiritual disconnection, any unmet sexual hunger, any unhealthy financial baggage, any harmful environment issues in your home, and any unhealthy thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. Not until we realize that we are mirrors of our interpersonal, spiritual, professional, sexual, creative, financial, environmental, mental, and emotional health will we truly heal. Only then can step up to the plate and make big strides towards saving the world.

This kind of self-healing isn’t for the faint of heart! You really can’t do it alone. This is where your sisters come in.

When you’re arm in arm with the feminine superheroes in your life who will blow pixie dust beneath your mighty wings as you blast off to the stratosphere, you can do anything. And when each of us rises to this level of empowerment, joy, wisdom, authenticity, and self-actualization, watch out world, here we come!

Women – women being who they really are, letting their freak flags fly, showing up maskless in all their beautiful vulnerability, celebrating their perfect imperfections, and lifting each other up – will heal the world. But only if we heal ourselves first, join in community with each other, and fill ourselves first so we can be effective agents for local and global change.

This is the awesome power of women in community. When we support each other, love each other, and lift each other up, we not only heal each other, we heal our loneliness, we grow our businesses, we spread our visions, and we make a difference, even if only in our own small way. When we’re juiced up, full of mojo, overflowing with vitality, kicking fear to the curb, following our dreams, nurturing our bodies, tending our spirits, and linking arms with our sisters, we can do ANYTHING.

Can Western women save the world?

You betcha, sister. But we can’t do it alone. We need each other to heal ourselves, so we can create as only women can do, love with open hearts, unite with collective spirit, and seek peace as the world leaders we all can be.

To foster this kind of healing love and support, I’m leading a workshop for female visionaries at Feathered Pipe Ranch in Montana this summer. Part of my personal vision is to gather women together in healing community so we can all realize our professional visions. Are you one of these awesome women?

It’s time, ladies.

Time to stop hiding in the shadows and step into the light.

Time to share ourselves truly with the world and, in the process, transform it.

Time to heal ourselves, that we might have a greater ability to affect healing in the world.

The Heal Yourself, Heal The World workshop happens next summer, from July 28 – August 3, 2012 and costs just $695 (food & accommodation extra).

 Are you on board to save the world? You can count on me to hold your hand, sister. Look left. Look right. We’re all around you, love. And together, we can all heal.

Ready to change the world,

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Lissa Rankin, MD: Founder of OwningPink.com, Pink Medicine Revolutionary, motivational speaker, and author of What’s Up Down There? Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend and Encaustic Art: The Complete Guide To Creating Fine Art With Wax.