It’s not easy to find happiness and peace when you’re constantly criticizing yourself. If you spend every day monitoring your appearance, actions, words, and behavior and stacking the sum of it all against the insurmountable expectations you set for yourself, it’s no wonder you don’t feel good – you’re too busy setting unrealistic goals rather than rewarding yourself for the things you do accomplish.
Sometimes we think of ourselves as falling short, and find ourselves wanting more. We say the wrong words, wear the wrong clothes, and do the wrong things.
Maybe we look at other people with envy or awe and believe that they know secrets that we don’t. We compare ourselves to others and come up wanting, never quite measuring up.
“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.”~Lao Tzu
When we doubt our abilities, punish ourselves for making mistakes, and pay more attention to other people’s opinions of us rather than our own, we become trapped in a cycle of beating ourselves up.
The key to breaking this cycle is stopping the negative self-talk and replacing it with positive affirmations and praise of one’s own behavior, appearance, and abilities.
Repeat after me, “I am Absolutely Awesome!”
Society has set us up to feel like if we believe or say positive things about ourselves, then we’re being vain or conceited. This leaves little room for outward expressions of self-confidence and a lot of room for that mean voice inside our heads that constantly puts us down.
To put an end to negative self-talk, start by viewing yourself with compassion. Be gentle with yourself. Compassion for others begins by being compassionate toward yourself. If we stumble or fall, get up and try again. If we drop the ball, maybe it was time to let it go.
Negative self-talk will never improve our state of mind; in fact, it’s completely counter-productive – a waste of time and energy. Don’t keep yourself in a state of shame or fear. Instead, change the criticism to self-praise, and stop putting yourself down.
Repeat after me, “I am Absolutely Awesome!”
I love this quote by Marianne Williamson:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Repeat after me, “I am Absolutely Awesome!”
I’d love to hear your comments. Drop me a line. All Blessings, Ken
