Now more than ever, media is flooded with stories about body-shaming and importance of confidence and happiness.
Every time I read a story about body-shaming I start to think about how women and men today are having hard time accepting themselves.
How come it's so hard for so many people to love themselves?
And then I think to myself- fast living paste, the pressure of success, media, social values... No wonder it's hard.
So, I felt inspired to share some thoughts on self-love, if nothing to make you think in a more positive direction.
Self-acceptance is my dear people, your duty to the world, to make it better.
I am not joking. If you learn to listen to your inner voice, your deep thoughts, the good and the bad- accept them; start to work on them, eventually you'll love yourself. You will be able to deal with all of the good and the bad of the world. So let's start!
1. It all starts from within.
No matter what your insecurity is -- it's exactly that, insecurity. And you have the control of it.
When you start to lower the volume of the inner voice that's making you feel bad, the more of a melody starts to play in your head with good thoughts.
As soon as you create a fertile ground in your mind for positive thinking, you will see more opportunities to be happy.
2. It takes practice.
Once you analyze your process of reasoning, and what is there to work on (maybe you think your weight is too heavy, or you're not good enough to get the job, whatever the "problem" is), it takes a lot of practice to get to the point of accepting your feelings, and correcting them in a positive and constructive direction. But remember, when you start working on changing your perspective on the issue, you are closer to the solution.
3. Gratitude.
There is a saying I love in life: How do you expect to be grateful for more in life, if you're not grateful for what you already have?"
THIS IS MY GUIDELINE IN LIFE. It sends a perfect message, on many levels. You will not be able to appreciate anything in life, if you continue to ask for more without thinking of what you already have. It's not about giving up on anything, but keeping in mind that we all need to be grateful for what we have. And with that, we will appreciate each success and the good things even more. The feeling is rewarding by itself.
Count your blessings and your perspective on problems will switch too.
4. Ask yourself: WHAT CAN I DO.
If you can do something about your issue (go the job interviews, start working out, start any activity that will help you), the problem is not the problem. Go and do it. Fighting for yourself and your happiness will give you the energy and optimism.
If you can't do anything about your insecurity at the moment, then it's your responsibility to take control, and not give the power to that inner voice. We all have it; we just need to practice the skill: VOLUME DOWN.
All this combined; you will start to love yourself. You will see the hard work it takes to keep things in perspective, moving towards the positive, you will be grateful for what you have and what you CAN ACHIEVE.
Once you learn to love the process of self-acceptance, you will also learn to understand people better. You will recognize the struggle in people around you, and the world, no matter how well or bad of a place it can be at the moment, it will be your home. Your "comfort zone".
With that, you will be able to affect people more, love them, accept them and enjoy your relationships.
At the end, ask yourself: how can you love others, if you don't love yourself?
So, it's quite clear: we all owe it to the world, to find a way to self-love.
Hopefully, these words will inspire you, and I chose quotes that always help me focus.
Good luck, and let's make a meaningful impact, firstly starting with ourselves.
Written by Darija Vidovic