“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
It’s
funny how we’ve spent our whole life with ourselves, but sometimes the
person in the mirror can be the hardest one to get to know. And it goes
without saying that it’s difficult to truly appreciate something or someone
you don’t understand. When building confidence and self-esteem, the
single most important thing you can do is to rebuild the internal
relationship that you have with yourself. Numbers speak volume and it’s
difficult for negativity to go up against the positive power of Me,
Myself and I.
Before diving into
how to get to know yourself better and reconstructing self-trust, it’s
important to begin by making a commitment to stand by the single person
who has a hand in all of your decisions, you. Here is an Affirmation of Inner Beauty taken from The Seeds of Beauty, to remind you of the relationship you must continually build with yourself no matter what your stage in life.
[Speak Your Name],
To you, I will never be a fair weather friend.
When you are afraid, I will give you the courage to step forward,
If ever you make a mistake, I will never lose faith in you.
And when you begin to doubt how beautiful you are, I will remind you.
Today and every day I promise to always stand by you.
You are me. I am you.
I Love You.
Download and print this affirmation from http://www.theseedsofbeauty. com and post it in a visible place within your office or home.
It
comes as no surprise that building a positive self-esteem starts with
getting to know yourself again and this will require that you regularly
devote some down-time to spend with yourself. What’s your favorite
movie, place to visit or song to listen to? Set aside time in your
schedule to do these things. Fall in love with who you are by supporting
yourself and bringing out the best in you through your interests.
What can action steps can I take to build a better relationship with myself?
When
we’re on a date and getting to know someone, the first thing we do is
ask questions. So why not do the same for yourself? Start by asking
yourself the following:
· What values are important to me?
· What are my dreams for the future?
· What makes me afraid?
· What do I dislike?
· How do I envision myself to be?
· The thing that would mean the most to me right now is…
The
key is to be honest in your answers. Pay attention to your
likes/dislikes. What things are hardest for you to admit to yourself?
After letting myself down so many times in the past, I struggle with trusting myself. What can I do to reconnect?
Reconnecting
to who you are and building a better relationship with yourself begins
with forgiveness. We all make mistakes and if you hold your mistakes
over your head like a guillotine ready to punish you the each time you
make a mistake, you do yourself more harm than good. Take a blank sheet
of paper and fill in the following sentence:
I forgive myself for….
List
out every misstep that has made you angry, every mistake that has made
you ashamed, and every mistake that has made you feel less than
yourself. With the same kindness that you would show a friend, read each
sentence aloud. As you read each sentence, allow yourself to gently let
it go and ultimately heal.
A
fashion stylist and former women’s fit technologist, author
Lakeysha-Marie Green utilizes her experience in the fashion industry
combined with her personal journey to self-discovery to help women
transform their appearance from the inside out. Her first book, The Seeds of Beauty,
tells an inspiring story of restoring unconditional self-love and
genuinely radiating your beauty from within. Begin your own beautiful
makeover at http://www.theseedsofbeauty. com
1 comment:
This post reminds me of how we need to see ourselves as God sees us--focusing not on where we've been but on our potential of what we can become and where we are going. Also, not limiting ourselves with negative talk. I just heard Joel Osteen talk about this yesterday.
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