How Often Do You Take the Time to Reflect On What You Like About Yourself
I suspect not often enough. If you’re anything like me, you’re too busy giving yourself an undue hard time for simply being human
For a few minutes, let’s take a break from giving ourselves a hard time. We can always get back to it later, lol.
I’d love you to spend some time reflecting upon what makes you a special human being — those positive qualities you see in yourself that make you a person others would be blessed to have as a friend, a parent, a child, or a life partner.
I’ll Take the Lead
Here’s what I came up with about myself:
- How hard I work at being the best possible version of myself each and every day.
- How I love to inspire growth and self-love in others.
- My ability to connect with the hearts of others, whether through the written word or in face-to-face interactions.
- My authenticity and willingness to be vulnerable.
- My sense of humor. It’s a combination of witty, corny, silly, and sweet.
Now It’s Your Turn
Take a few seconds and see what self-appreciative thoughts arise. Don’t overthink it. Trust your gut.
I’ll supply you with a bulleted template. But please don’t try to fill them in on the screen. It ain’t gonna work. Go get yourself a pencil and paper and I’ll be waiting.
- _____________________________________________________________
- _____________________________________________________________
- _____________________________________________________________
- _____________________________________________________________
- _____________________________________________________________
What Did You Come Up With?
I’d love to know. I suspect many readers feel the same, so feel free to share via comments.
How did you feel about yourself as the positive thoughts about yourself were popping up?
I hope you felt darn good, that you felt proud of yourself. As that is precisely what you deserve.
Were there any surprises on your list, as in:
gee, I never thought about it before, but I really do appreciate how I …..
One More Request Of You
Reread your list — slowly, one item at a time. Reflect on each one, long enough to soak into your heart.
Give yourself a giant attaboy / attagirl for the person you’ve made of yourself.
It’s not as if you were born with those qualities you’re most proud of. At best, you were born with the seeds of them.
You chose to nurture them in such a way that they blossomed
And for that, you deserve credit.
For example, let’s suppose you included on your list being proud of how strong a person you are. That you reflected back on how well you’ve handled challenging life circumstances, such as illness of family members or financial concerns.
You didn’t just magically rise to the occasion. Nope. You summoned up both the determination and courage to do so. You could have fallen apart, or thrown yourself a pity party. So kudos to you.
Final Thoughts
Many if not most people have a harsh inner critic and spend far too much time believing that voice speaks the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
I’m one of those guys. I’ve been loyal to that voice for the better part of seven decades now — since I was a little kid and I took my first steps internalizing the negative messages I received from others that were totally undeserved.
The reality is our harsh inner critic knows nothing about who we are. It spouts out gross distortions, if not outright lies. It speaks words that are worthy of winning a Pulitzer Prize for Fictional Writing.
Fortunately, there is another voice inside our heads. It speaks the truth.
That voice not only knows who we are — it loves who we are. We don’t need to change a bit about ourselves to be worthy of its love.
I call it the voice of my higher power. Pick whatever name works best for you.
It is that voice that was speaking when you listed those qualities you like about yourself.
In closing, I hope my words inspire you (and myself) to never forget how special we are and how much we have to offer to the world.
With love,
Art
If you had any trouble coming up with qualities you like about yourself, or want to expand your list even further, then you may find this article helpful.
