People like to focus solely on the glass being half full, the shiny side of the coin. But we only know the glass is half full because it’s half empty. We only see the sparkle of the shiny side because of the dirt and grime that coats the other.

Can we see them on their own? Absolutely. But it’s only in contrast that we see the true fullness, richness, and brilliance.

I believe in seeing the good. 
I believe in embracing the lessons and the gifts. 
I believe that there’s always light inside the darkness. 

I also know that many times it takes seeing, acknowledging, and truly immersing yourself in the darkness to find the light. The true, real, life-changing light. Not the light we fabricate upfront because we’re afraid of the dark… afraid to focus on the “negative” and all that hurts and is hard. But the real light and wisdom and gifts that come in their own time. With patience. While sitting in the darkness and feeling the feelings all the way through.

I prefer to live life inside the layers, right on the line where both sides converge. This is the sweet spot, where the magic truly happens and wisdom fully emerges.

Life is a mess of duality… contradicting emotions and mixed experiences. If you neglect to focus on both sides of that duality, you miss the depth and richness that it brings. @StephenieZ (Click to Tweet!)

My life is richer and more magical these days because I’ve embraced both the gifts AND the gut-wrenching heartbreak. Because I’ve acknowledged the fullness of the glass, as well as the emptiness. Because I’ve always chosen to witness the sparkle while also experiencing and appreciating the grime. I’m happier, more fulfilled, and more on purpose than ever before because I sit inside both experiences as much as possible. Not dismissing or washing over one with the other, not bypassing, and not stewing or staying stuck. Because I let things be both frustrating and growth-inducing, challenging and beautiful, awful and inspiring.

Don’t be afraid of the grime… of the emptiness inside the glass. It only makes the part you want to focus on that much brighter and more beautiful… it will expand your capacity for experiencing the light.

Stephenie Zamora is an author and life coach, business and marketing strategist, and founder of CallOfTheVoid.tv., where she merges the worlds of personal development, energy healing, intuitive coaching, writing, and mixed media art to help individuals rise up and come back from the darkest, hardest chapters of life. She guides her clients through the challenging process of re-orienting to their lives, relationships, and work in a way that’s fully aligned with who they’ve become in the aftermath of loss, trauma, depression, and big life changes. After struggling with PTSD, grief, and anxiety from a sudden and traumatic loss, she navigated her own difficult healing journey, and has set out to help others find the purpose of their own path using The Hero’s Journey as a framework. She is also the founder of Stephenie Zamora Media, the author of Awesome Life Tips®, creator of Journey Mapping Sessions™, and is currently working on a second book, Unravel. Her work has been featured on The Huffington Post, Yahoo Shine, Elite Daily, Positively Positive, and many other publications over the years. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or at www.CallOfTheVoid.tv.