How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you.
Rupi Kaur - born October 4, 1992,
Where across the course of your day today could you consider where it might be, that you are selling yourself short?
When someone pays you a compliment, do you accept it with a gracious 'thank you' or with a self-deprecating comment, implying ulterior motives?
“Give credit where credit is due”, my father used to say, and I’m a big fan of complimenting people for a job well done. It’s part of my job as it turns out.
Where across the course of your day today could you consider where it might be that you could practice a bit of self-acknowledgement?
Self-acknowledgement is the highest form of encouragement, and encouragement, it is said, is verbal sunshine for the soul.
The best way I know of for this practice is in my morning journaling, and when I look at my to-do list at the end of each day, with each item checked off.
Quite often throughout a very good day, I’ll say out loud, “Well done, DL!”
If you struggle with the idea of giving yourself a pat on the back, then consider the “Golden Rule”
The "Golden Rule" is an ethical principle that is common across many cultures and religions. It suggests that you should treat others as you would like to be treated. The basic idea is reciprocity in human interactions, where you show kindness, fairness, and respect to others because you expect the same in return.
Here are a few variations of the Golden Rule across different traditions:
Christianity: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Matthew 7:12)
Judaism: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour." (Talmud, Shabbat 31a)
Islam: "None of you [truly] believes until he loves for his brother that which he loves for himself." (Hadith)
Hinduism: "One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one's own self." (Mahabharata 5:1517)
Buddhism: "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." (Udana-Varga 5:18)
Where across the course of your day today, could you consider where it might be that you create your own Golden Rule?
Across the course of your day today, be aware of the occasions where you are speaking to yourself in a way you wouldn’t allow another person to speak to you or treating yourself in a way that you wouldn’t allow another person to treat you?
It’s Sunday morning. If you feel less than your best, remember today is another day on this glorious planet, and however you feel about yourself, what lessons are you learning?
Self-love is first love; you can’t love anyone unless you love yourself.
While you’re thinking about that, think about this and have a Gr8 day!
Be well!
DL
“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.”
Marianne Williamson born July 8, 1952