I am slowly learning to lovingly embrace all aspects of my personality and of my self. To stop emphasizing my flaws and devaluing my strengths. I am not perfect. I am a continual work in progress, and that is very okay. No one is perfect, and striving to be so only feeds the stress that comes from following an illusion. I am not a failure. I am not incomplete… I am whole and good enough just the way I am now. I am doing my best and that is all I need to do.
I am slowly learning to stop being so hard on myself. To stop questioning my value. To stop comparing my strengths and weaknesses to others. To stop constantly re-negotiating my eternal and everlasting self-worth. To stop seeing life as a competition. To stop feeling that I need to be somewhere other than where I am now. To stop trying to change myself.
I am slowly learning to appreciate my achievements. To tell myself, ‘Good Job!’ each and every time I complete something, regardless of how big or small that it may be. I am proud of my accomplishments, and for each and every thing I have learned along the way. I am proud of the life I have created, and proud of how far I have come. I am proud of the person I am today.
I am slowly learning to be grateful each and every day for life. To honor where I am at in the moment. To let go rather than hold on, understanding that what’s real never leaves, and that relaxation is greater than tension. To start and end each day thinking of the things I am grateful to have experienced and have yet to experience. To love life through the gratitude in my heart.
I am slowly learning to love and think more of myself. To accept myself just the way I am, the parts I like and the parts I have not liked. To warmly embrace all of my feelings with compassion, understanding that they are natural expressions to be felt, loved and understood. To become whole. To elevate my standards. To let go of relationships that constantly bring me pain. To surround myself with people who uplift, support and inspire me. People who accept me for who I am, not who they want me to be. People who realize the value of love and kindness, and have grown beautifully in love on the inside, and now shine it on all they see on the outside.
I am slowly learning that negativity does not make me a realist, but rather a pessimist. It adds to the difficulty of an already challenging life. It causes me to be suspicious of trouble when everything is fine. To be worried when things are serene and peaceful. It causes me to expect the worst from a beautiful day.
I am slowly learning that pessimism does nothing to help me and only brings me down. I am realizing that I need to make a change if I want to get through the pain and distress inside. I am starting to see the value in staying positive and in focusing on the good in the world, in seeing the good in myself. I am learning that through consciously choosing to feel love for myself; for my self within the pains, loving my self within the sadness, stress, and difficulty, that I am readjusting the lens of my life to one of true happiness. I am learning that by washing my inner-self with love in every experience, I am allowing love to show up on the outside of my self; I am creating a life of love.
I am drawing from inner wells of confidence, knowing that I can do anything I set my mind to. I know that like anything, learning to love myself takes time, and I’m okay with that. Every moment I spend practicing self-compassion brings me years of peace and joy. I am learning that I would rather spend my days in a calm space of love within, seeing the best in everyone, and giving love and kindness to all those I meet. My heart opens and smiles at this thought, as I know that before my time ends, I will look back on the loving connections I shared with others as my greatest treasure.
I am slowly learning that self compassion is unconditional acceptance of all aspects of one’s self. That I am enough, just the way I am. I am learning that self-criticism is the enemy of love. It only depresses, demotivates, and brings me down. It only lowers my stamina and serves to prevent me from reaching my full potential. I am learning to pause when self-critical thoughts come into my mind, and to immediately and loudly choose positive thoughts of myself, followed by conscious moving of love into those areas of myself. I am learning to be emotionally intelligent.
I am slowly learning to stop being so hard on myself, because I am deeply, deeply loved, and I matter so much more than I realize.
