Doing for Others but Not for Yourself

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Some of the nicest, kindest, compassionate, empathic and loving people I know are also the meanest.

Where they can do for others, they struggle to be for themselves.

When they see others suffer they offer words that extend compassion, kindness, and love:

you are beautiful, you are amazing, you are so courageous, you are worthy, whatever happens you will be okay, we all make mistakes, let it go….

However they tell themselves other stories:

You’re useless, you’re a big fraud, who do you think you are? you won’t ever be good enough, nobody loves you…

Are you super hard on yourself but can forgive others easily? Do you mentally beat yourself when you think you have said or done the wrong thing? Do you belittle and berate yourself when fall, falter or make a wrong move in life?

Being kind and gentle with ourselves - perhaps when we need it most - seems to be more difficult than jumping on thought trains telling ourselves we aren't good enough, valuable enough, or worse, compare our journey - and who we are - with those of others. It is a detriment of our own confidence, courage, self-esteem, and well-being.

WE ARE UNFINISHED HUMAN’S!

Rumi, who was a darned smart chappie, once wrote, 'This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all!’

Think about this phrase, ‘Allow me to accept …’

Take a moment and think about being unfinished. Really think about acceptance.

Allow yourself to be unfinished. How would you end, allow me to accept ... ?

Maybe you can write your own ‘Allow me to accept’ list,

Here’s a start:

that I am ________________________

to have _________________________

that it takes ______________________

to live ____________________________

nothing has to give ________________

being who on the days when ________

I realize I need no __________________

when it / what it has taken to ________

I don’t have to to let go _____________

If you can learn to accept, acknowledge, and appreciate yourself the confidence and courage you want to expand and grow become easier. Why? Because you know that whatever happens, you are okay. You can learn that. To be okay, no matter what.

IT’S YOGA PRACTICE - NOT YOGA PERFECT!

If you have ever been to one of my Yoga practices you know I use this phrase A LOT! We are unfinished, we are a work in progress and we continue along this journey of life, each day working on being a better person. But we have to love ourselves along the way and allow ourselves to stumble as well as succeed. It’s all PRACTICE! I truly believe that once we are perfect our job is done - which is why we keep practicing - there is no way I am ready to be done and I am not going to try to rush it!

Allow me to accept: that I am not done yet and I have a long way to go. I don’t need to know the whole journey to be on it.

Allow me to accept: that gratitude is free and it’s my exchange for being human.

Allow me to accept: that we are all students, and we are all teachers, and nobody is excluded from this.

Allow me to accept: that I didn't come here to be an apology.

Allow me to accept: that I am raw, unpolished, wild, unedited.

Allow me to: just be ME!

We have to be gentle with ourselves - not just when we are making life changes - but all of the time. We can't possibly expect that everything we touch in life is going to go according to our script of how it's going to go. Life happens. Things get in the way. It's what we do and how we treat ourselves when we are faced with our barriers, hurdles, self-doubts, and obstacles that make a difference.

Self care is a Divine Responsibility!

When we practice kindness, compassion and love for ourselves, it can only ripple out.

Let’s go make those ripples!

May the light in me join with the light in you and the two become one

Namaste, Kimberly