Validate me

This Little Light of Mine - LGBTQ, Christianity, religious trauma, mental health

It’s 2021… we made it! Hello, and welcome Episode 22 of This Little Light Of Mine. My name is James Powell and I’m glad that you’re able to join me for today’s story episode, ‘Validate me’.

It feels good to be here and to share more of an upbeat and lighter story episode with you today. And that’s what this episode is all about, validation and feeling good.

In today’s story episode I’m shedding many of the awkward, scared, small and unwanted masks of my school years. This period of my life is my coming out and reinvention. And man, did it ever feel good!

As I reflect back on this period of time it’s incredible to see how fast I jumped at all of these opportunities. I look back with awe and wonder at the cockiness, confidence and zest for life that I had. To be honest, sometimes I wish I could steal some of that and bring that into present day.

I was on an ego upswing and after spending most of my life locked away in a closet of shame and self-hatred my new life of freedom was everything that I dreamed of… or so I thought.

Back at this time in my life I wasn’t even conscious of the new double life that I had created. I didn’t see the all too familiar trap that I was sprinting towards. I didn’t see how my circumstances had changed but that I hadn’t changed.

External validation was the intoxicating drug that I used as a life support for my flat lining self-esteem. And damn, that drug works great! But what I didn’t realize was how addictive it was. Once I got a taste of positive external validation I couldn’t stop. I always needed more.

So, what about you? Have you ever got hooked on external validation? Are you crushed when you don’t get the number of likes you NEED on Instagram? Or what about feedback? Are you able to accept honest feedback or do you need to surround yourself in an echo chamber of people that look like you, act like you and think like you?

Welcome to the journey towards healthy self-esteem!

If you haven’t joined our community on Instagram or Facebook, I’d invite you to visit @MyLightShinesBright and make sure to check out our Trauma Tuesday posts from December, January and February where we’ll be focusing on self-esteem.

I’m looking forward to being with you in two-weeks’ time with author Marc-Henri Sandoz Paradella to talk about his new book Toxic Jesus and his journey from Holy Shit to Spiritual Healing.

I’m really excited to share Marc-Henri’s work and I want to give away a free copy of ‘Toxic Jesus’ to a listener of This Little Light Of Mine.

For your chance to win all you need to do is subscribe, rate and leave a review of This Little Light Of Mine on Apple Podcasts. Next story episode I will choose one of the reviews and send you your very own copy of Toxic Jesus and the journey from Holy Shit to Spiritual Healing.

Until then, be safe and know that you are loved.

James