Hey Superstar,
Welcome to Day 3 of Holy Shivers Meditation Exploration Series.
Good morning,
Afternoon,
And night to you.
One of the keys to having a good relationship with ourselves is self-acceptance.
Self-acceptance is a gentle and fundamental ingredient to thriving in the world.
And it's tricky,
Because it's not like wearing a progress bar that depicts how far you've downloaded a file on your shirt.
People can't identify where you're at in your process of self-acceptance,
But they can feel it in you.
You'll notice things flow more freely for yourself and others when you are floating in a wave of self-acceptance.
It does come at first in waves,
So hold on to the thought for when you lose it.
Most circumstances can put your self-acceptance to a test.
We are our biggest critics.
Our minds are phenomenal at telling us what we've done wrong,
How we could have improved,
Why we missed out on an opportunity,
Or a quick-witted comment.
Accept that you won't always accept yourself.
It is a process.
But strive for unconditional love and an average of acceptance.
If you generally understand your own humanity,
Then you're already halfway there.
When you feel low because of some circumstance causing you to reflect on yourself in a negative way,
Remember that you're tapping into only one,
Or few,
Of many interpretations of what one must be or must not be.
Don't get into a negative feedback loop.
Just be.
Observe it.
Isn't it interesting that I'm going through this?
Isn't it interesting that I feel like shit?
What is it trying to teach me?
If we were to simplify the process,
The evolution could look like this.
We sense something is off about a thing.
We realize we could have done better in the thing that we did.
And if we are well-intentioned people,
A frequent third step is to blame ourselves for the mistake,
And as a consequence,
Feel badly about ourselves.
That's not exactly the best thing we can do when we want to love ourselves.
The best thing is not to associate ourselves with it.
If only we could accept what we've done,
Therefore ourselves,
And recognize that that third step of blaming and feeling badly is absolutely what holds us back from progress,
We would be happier and lighter people.
Because there's no point in having a worse day.
What's done is done.
And what you did was perfect for you.
Even in its strange ugliness,
Life can be awkward and messy.
And life is certainly not as serious as you think.
Sometimes self-acceptance can simply also be about our bodies,
Our acceptance of what we look like.
Today,
We are still exactly where we are meant to be.
It can be helpful to lean on self-love and knowing that you are doing your absolute best to learn and grow every day.
And if you have a little bit of extra fat,
Try some compassion.
Shifting our attention onto what's productive for ourselves about a situation,
Without ignoring that there's room for improvement,
Is the only way to move forward.
Remember that attention is different from concentration.
Attention,
Concentration.
Think about those two words.
When we put our attention to something,
We allow it to live freely around us.
We observe the surroundings.
Alternatively,
When we concentrate on something,
We are limiting our view of it.
So we should train ourselves to become more capable of accepting that we're allowed to have low moments,
And hold ourselves to realistic and loving standards,
Using attention and not concentration,
When it comes to self-acceptance.
Because even the greatest version of yourself can require actively pursuing self-acceptance.
And before you get there,
You must reach the foundational level of practicing forgiveness against unrealistic expectations.
This is self-acceptance.
It's your own awareness telling you that you are okay as you are.
And to keep going.
You are okay when you decide you are.
Make it now.
Hold onto it.
And remember that feeling when you need it.
Now.
Reflect within yourself,
Close your eyes,
Or simply stop what you're doing and free your mind.
On a scale of 1 to 10,
Where are you at in your level of self-acceptance?
Is there judgment in a specific area that causes your score to lower?
Are you holding on to anger,
Anxiety?
What parts of you are asking to be seen right now?
Maybe they're showing up because that's what needs to heal.
Remember that if you scored yourself with a low level of self-acceptance,
To accept that about yourself.
And if you've scored yourself high,
Own it.
Don't take it for granted.
And don't lie to yourself if it fluctuates.
It sounds funny,
But it's true.
Self-acceptance is also about embracing our lowest moments.
So remember to be gentle with yourself.
Remember to take a deep breath and postpone your worries the next few minutes as we fall into a deep reflection.
Postpone them for as long as you can,
Of course.
Or ideally,
Eliminate them.
Or file them away into a cabinet so far away that your higher self does not see.
How can you be kinder to yourself in situations that cannot be changed by further action?
At least on your part.
As you go about your day,
Keep in mind we are all fighting our own battles.
Be kind to others.
Notice when someone appears off balance.
Maybe they need you to bring them back,
If you have the space for it.
One of the most magical things about self-acceptance is that you also tend to accept others for who they are.
Notice if you're judging others today,
And think if there is a part of you that you are not accepting based on what you're thinking of them.
Then,
Bring it to your attention.
Recognize that we are not our thoughts.
So eradicate it from your mind and don't associate to it too much.
And remember that you are okay where you are.
We're going to get through this stronger and better.
Feel free to open your eyes if you haven't done so already.
Your grounding sentence for today is,
This is me.
That's it.
This is me.
Repeat it throughout the day.
With a smile.
Namaste.
