It isn’t necessarily one of the Ten Commandments, but it definitely needs to be one of your top personal commandments. No question there, right? Right. Ok great, I’m glad we can all agree on that.
Minor detail, if it’s something that we all know we should do, then why does it seem so hard sometimes? Yea yea, you’re your own worst critic and yadda yadda – believe me, I know. (remember the tank top incident?) But why is that? Is it because of something someone said so long ago? Something that happened already that we can’t go back and change? Is it because of a broken heart or fear of release? Why on Earth is it SO difficult to love yourself sometimes?
We nit-pick, we compare, we bash, we praise then blush then take it back then try not to notice. There’s times we hold ourselves up to standards that no feasible person could ever possibly live up to. And all of this…it all trickles down into every aspect of our lives. Our work, our relationships, our friendships. This may not happen all the time, this may come in waves, it may only happen when you run into one certain thing, but it happens.
This year I’m making conscious efforts in changing that and take hold of that personal commandment #1. There are certain things about me I’ve always tried to change because I was under the impression I was supposed to be a certain way. Big example? I’m almost always a bit flustered – in my own little world – a tad flighty sometimes – usually looking in the opposite direction – goosey (as my father called it) – all of the above – and I’ve always caught a lot of smack for it from various people.
Well I’ve come to accept and embrace the fact that I am like my hair- Almost always a tad bit disheveled…but in a good way. I don’t have to have everything figured out, I may not always make sense, it’s ok to let my mind wander from topic to topic and I definitely do not have to have everything going in the same direction.
And you know what? Life is a lot easier! I don’t get upset because I’m not fitting into the ideal of what I once held. I don’t compare myself (not nearly as much) to others. I try not to get onto myself when I realize I’m a little more disheveled one day than normal. In fact, I laugh when I catch myself in these moments, because I realize that finally – after 26 friggin years – that’s just me – and I’m all right with that. I’m starting to Love Thy Self a little more, and it’s really not all that hard. Of course it’s a process, but then again, I wouldn’t have it any other way. ;)
So tell me, dear Readers, what is it that YOU truly love about yourself? What are some of those quirks you have that you finally realized weren’t going anywhere and they were here to stay? What are YOUR experiences on the journey to embracing the Love Thy Self commandment?
