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Why we All Need an Aunt Viv


Every once in a while, I’ll have a message come to my mind, that I feel is especially for you.  I usually have something else planned, but when this happens I know I have to drop what I had scheduled and follow that impression.

So, I don’t know who needs this message today, maybe it’s you?  But no matter if it’s not, I believe EVERYONE can benefit from it.

I was recently sharing some family concerns with a fellow coach, and he told me about his Aunt Viv.

He said when he was younger, he thought she was a little crazy.  

Every time she saw him, she lit up like a Christmas tree.  

She was always happy and positive… all rainbows and unicorns in her world.

He remembered how she talked about her sons, like they were the most perfect, incredible human beings in the world.  

He would listen to her and think she was off her rocker, because he knew her boys… they were his cousins!  

Her story about them didn’t match his.

He would think to himself, “Seriously Viv, have you met your kids??”

He came to the conclusion that Aunt Viv must be delusional.  

There was no other explanation.

But over the years, he noticed that those imperfect boys grew to be pretty incredible people. 

They lived into the vision of who their mother believed them to be.

And the more he witnessed this powerful, “see the best in you” kind of love, he realized that Aunt Viv was pretty delicious to be around.  

Far more fun than the realists in his life,  who were always reminding him that he needed to try harder to live up to his full potential.  Those other well meaning family members, made him feel judged and not enough.

His story was powerful for me.

I want to be an Aunt Viv.

Imagine what our world would look like if everyone saw us as the very best version of ourselves….they were completely blind to our flaws and saw only the good?  

WOW.  I wanna live in that world!

Can you imagine how amazing it would feel to be seen that way?  To see others that way?

We would be more trusting, and way more optimistic.  

People would feel like they had the space to rise higher,  and they’d be able to see the best in themselves, when they could see that best reflected in our eyes.

Our marriages would blossom as we viewed our spouses through those “delusional” lenses.

Our children and grandchildren would more quickly discover their talents, their abilities, their worth.

We would trust and love our neighbors in a way that truly brings a community together.

Thank you Aunt Viv, for teaching my friend this valuable lesson, so that he could share it with me, -and now I can share it with you.

Aunt Viv, you make me want to be better,  to look for the best in everyone I meet.  To look for that inner essence, that love, that worthiness that lies within all of us.

To find something to love in the gal in front of me at the grocery store, and share a compliment with her.

To be looking for the beauty in every human being I see, and letting them know that I appreciate who they are, -and thanking them for their contribution to our planet.

As we look for what we love, we will find more of it. And who doesn’t want more love??

To me, that seems like the best kind of life to live.

My own parents are like this, so I know it’s possible.  

I’ve been so incredibly blessed to be viewed through those loving, mono-vision lenses.

So, to all of the Aunt Vivs out there, THANK YOU, for helping me to see the type of person I want to become.

And if you’re not an Aunt Viv, no worries!  

It’s never too late.  

Why not start today?