Dare to LOVE Yourself!
I am my own biggest critic. Before anyone else has criticized me, I have already criticized myself. But for the rest of my life, I am going to be with me and I don't want to spend my life with someone who is always critical. So I am going to stop being my own critic. It's high time that I accept all the great things about me. - C. JoyBell C.
Do you ever stop to give yourself credit for the magnitude of the winding road you have travelled in life - the distance you have gone and how many times you thought you would wave your white flag but didn’t… all those moments that felt like mountains and yet somehow you managed to get yourself over them.
Probably not - but we should, because life can be really hard sometimes and it is bad enough that we have to navigate our way through some of the challenges we do, but denying ourselves some positive recognition only allows further elevation of our inner demons.
Life is not always pretty, in fact many times it is downright BRUTAL – but that brutality always hold a message if you open your eyes and stop long enough to absorb it! I think often about all the things I have chosen to put myself through in my life so far and I smile. Fuck was it a party and a journey! For sure, some of it was rough beyond comprehension, but even THOSE moments I treasure. When you sit with fluid clay on a wheel, it is an act of balance and control which ultimately creates the masterpiece which you get to call your own. Life is little different.
As we move along this journey, we are creating our own personal masterpiece and some of the most beautiful pieces of pottery in the world almost never have straight lines because it is perfectly imperfect - just like we are - and we owe it to ourselves to take a moment now and again to appreciate that.
We ALL have regrets, or rather “lessons”. I try not to focus on the word regret too much because the reality is that ALL of our so-called mistakes have something positive to offer if we take the time to see beyond the chaos and emotion. Life does not come with a handbook, we just have to wing it! We need to be receptive to the decisions we make and simultaneously mature enough to acknowledge when those decisions were NOT the best ones we have could have made. THAT is what counts… not the “mistake/decision” itself.
It is all intrinsic in our individuality and simultaneously what makes us all a part of the “whole”.
“You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.”
― Mary Oliver
I find moments of contemplation like this creeping into my days more and more often now. Perhaps it is because I am more removed from the “chaos” of life, maybe it is because I am getting older and so is my son, or maybe it is because it really does take almost a lifetime to embrace realisation of the things which actually matter.
Would I go back and change anything about my life? NO! Would I go back at all? NO! I feel blessed to have the broad experience I do. It changed me - Shaped me. I sit today with a quiet confidence in the knowing of who I am, want and where I am going. I would not change that for the world!
“I am glad that I paid so little attention to good advice; had I abided by it I might have been saved from some of my most valuable mistakes.”― Edna St. Vincent Millay
Everything we do each day is contributing to our bigger picture, our aspirations and goals. Some days it will feel like we have achieved a whole lot more than we have on others and that is ok. We need to learn to be accepting of the speed of progress and growth. It is not all going to happen all at once. Our energy and enthusiasm for the journey forward is also going to waver and this is also acceptable. The main thing being that we continue moving forward, keep trying - keep on, keeping on - and ALSO being aware of the fact that what we did, regardless of how seemingly little… was enough! Be kinder to ourselves… that is what we need to be. When it comes down to the nuts and bolts, we don’t need very much in life in order for us to be happy – pretty much all the ingredients lie within us.
It never ceases to amaze me how when we simply let go, have faith and trust the process, allowing ourselves to enjoy the journey- it all comes together like a beautiful symphony. When we let go of what we think do or don't deserve, what we should or shouldn't have, when we get out of our own way - that is when we receive what we truly need.
You can be the most beautiful person in the world and everybody sees light and rainbows when they look at you, but if you yourself don't know it, all of that doesn't even matter. Every second that you spend on doubting your worth, every moment that you use to criticize yourself; is a second of your life wasted, is a moment of your life thrown away. It's not like you have forever, so don't waste any of your seconds, don't throw even one of your moments away. - C. JoyBell C.
The photos shared were of yesterday's sunset from our place.
Gorgeous right?!
HAPPY SUNDAY BEAUTIFUL SOULS!
❤❤❤
Until next time...
Much Love from Country Bumpkinland, South Africa xxx
Jaynielea
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Be grateful to the past and let it go with love for giving you awareness. Loving yourself is for the rest of your days, while loving others is a wonderful but lasting experience :)
A thousand times, yes!
I love that!!! <3
Oh wow, you made me remember my own reflections... While I was reading you something came to mind that I discovered not long ago, and that is that what we cultivate there is then expressed in our way of being, moving and even in our appearance. physical... if we cultivate love for ourselves, acceptance, and care, that will be reflected in peace and joy.
For example, I really like the freedom of being yourself, with all those sides that may seem "imperfect", but thanks to the whole, we are what we are.
A friend told me one day, "When you look in the mirror, tell yourself how beautiful you are." And I mention it to you, because although it may seem superficial, it is necessary to reaffirm ourselves every day...
Thanks for sharing 🌺
This is absolutely true!!!! A lesson I sheepishly admit that I forget often... putting myself down etc. but self-talk is something I do on the regular too, as to try and change that haha!!
I could not agree more!!! For me personally, I have always been more naturally drawn to slightly off-centre individuals and you will normally find them to be absolutely fascinating characters because they have endured a lot in life!
Oh no! I definitely don't see that as being superficial... not at all. The mind will believe anything you tell it often enough, so the expression "fake it until you make it" could be applied here. One thing most of us do not think in our deep hearts - is that we are beautiful... and its so very wrong. We are ALL beautiful - not by societies standards... but rather soul standards :)
This is very real, because what we put in our minds are the filters with which we are going to interpret reality...
And it is true that we are all beautiful, we are wonderful creatures. That's why it's never too much or too much to love each other. Dare, as you have said, until it becomes natural :-)
What sometimes we don't know is how to love ourselves? or what we can do to love each other, since love is a verb, there are things we can do and that is where I think most of us get lost hehe
Pretty much! And sadly so. We are not really taught any healthy forms of self love growing up. Would be nice to see that beginning to shift.
Saludos y feliz día, no todo en la vida es felicidad hay días buenos y días malos, hay malas experiencias que nos marcan la vida para siempre y y están superar.
This is very true @hildegartte! It is often the hardest things in life which teach us the most - we just need to learn to see that. once we do, it changes our perspective about everything!!!
Life is a fascinating journey - even if it is challenging at times... it is still completely worth it!
¡Esto es muy cierto! A menudo son las cosas más difíciles de la vida las que más nos enseñan; sólo tenemos que aprender a ver eso. una vez que lo hacemos, cambia nuestra perspectiva sobre todo!!!
La vida es un viaje fascinante, aunque a veces sea desafiante... ¡vale la pena!
If life only offered beautiful moments, it would a) be boring and b) there would be no reason for development and change. We need our bad experiences just as much as the positive ones.
On the money as always @weisser-rabe!! :)
Considering a picture perfect life makes me think of that movie "stepford wives" or something like that - everything always perfect, faces plastered with smiles and nothing ever went wrong lol... meanwhile back at the ranch - EVERYTHING was wrong!!!
Though, I do have to say that though it is all shallow and plastic - there is a large part of society that is actually like that - you know, Instagram perfect. People shooting selfies of this wonderful life, when in reality they are dying of loneliness inside. Humans sure are strange!
But yes!! 100% with you! Life needs the twists and turns! Balance and perspective I say!
Hope you have an awesome start to the week!!
xxx
Same to you!
I've learnt a new word these days: everything has to be "instagramable"...
LOL, hahaha!
It's interesting to read your thoughts. Great, insightful post 🙂👍
You're right, in life the most important thing is to keep moving and not get hung up on some things. However, short stops are acceptable to choose a direction and not to move randomly 😜
Life is very diverse, it's a salad of adventure, drama, horror, action, romance and more, each ingredient balances each other and keeps us from going crazy as well as experiencing eternal happiness.
Freddie Mercury said: being human is a state requiring constant anesthesia. And it is true, few people manage to stay calm and not react to all the bad things that happen in our lives.
Oh yes absolutely... in fact quite necessary at times.
Cool analogy :D
Wise words and so very, very true!!!