— from Rosie Kuhn —
For most of us, the world we live in doesn’t support us knowing how great we are. It doesn’t support us being fearless, abundant, and extraordinary. In fact, our consensus reality is fear-based, scarcity-based and shame-based. Jeesh!
If you are anything like me, allowing yourself to acknowledge what’s true about you — all the good stuff and the bad stuff, is terrifying. However, if we aren’t allowed to see all the ways we are great and doing really well, then we won’t be able to see all the tools and skills we’ve developed and have access to in service to having the awesomest life possible!
I’ve been doing a particular exercise with myself that I’ve found really helpful. Before going to sleep I acknowledge myself for 10 things I’m happy about. For example: I acknowledge myself for cleaning the dishes before watching a movie; I watered my plants; I looked at my bank account to know that I have enough money. Easy — right?
The next part of the exercise is to acknowledge 10 things that I respect myself for. This is a little more challenging, but it is worth the effort. I found so far that I respect myself for the ways that I’m courageous — even when I’m scared. I respect myself for disciplining myself to do some amount of housecleaning, and I respect myself for stretching my comfort zone to do something that is uncomfortable. So far, I’ve revealed through this part of the exercise elements of my character that I hadn’t been willing to see and appreciate before now.
The 3rd part of this exercise is even more difficult. I ask myself to acknowledge five things I honor myself for and five ways that I honor myself. Yikes! The truth is that it took me a long time to reveal even one thing in which I honor myself for, and no way that I actually honor myself. This was getting to be hard work. However, I knew if I continually ignored all the amazing shifts and changes that I’ve accomplished for myself — by myself, I wouldn’t see that I have the capacity to grow myself into my fullest potential — my purest intent. So, I needed to keep working on this — no matter what.
Thus, I thought about those people that I say I honor, and I thought about what I honored them for. I honor people for their respect of others, their generosity of spirit, and their willingness to be themselves and enjoy themselves. This was the start of seeing what I honor in myself, too. And, then to see how I actually honor myself — what I do that is honoring — well, that came with further intention and commitment.
I too deserved to be honored, appreciated, and loved — by me!!! I know that having a clean, uncluttered home is one way that I honor myself; taking my supplements consistently is a way that I honor myself; making sure I paint and create every day is a way that I honor myself; being in nature and beauty is also a huge way that I honor myself, and finally, choosing a lifestyle that allows thriving to occur on all levels of my being — now that is truly honoring of me. That’s a good list to start with, I think!!
So, I want you to be curious about how great you are. Let yourself talk about what a great day you had and what was fun and meaningful for you. Enjoy getting to know what a gift you are to yourself and the world. If nothing else, you’ll bring a smile to your own face more often than you can imagine. That, in itself, is a very good thing!
For more blogs, books, videos, or if you are interested in coaching or training with Dr. Rosie, check out her website: www.theparadigmshifts.com. And her podcast can be found at aginglikeaguru.podbean.com. The book Aging Like a Guru – Who Me? and Dr. Rosie’s other books are available at Darvill’s Bookstore, the Cottage Gift Shop, and Amazon.
