Around the age of four,
Our minds begin to form its ego.
The ego is the little voice in our head that takes away the joy from the present moment.
It whispers and sometimes screams at us that we're not enough,
And questions our every move.
And when we don't recognize what's happening and calibrate back into a place of kindness,
It can cake us down like no other.
You know that kind of pain,
Right?
You can practice mindfulness,
Do yoga,
Meditate,
And all the rest of it,
And those things are incredibly helpful.
But no matter how much you practice,
This little voice seems to always find its way back into your consciousness.
So the best thing to do is be aware when it has arrived and have a way to tame it so it doesn't take over.
I recently learned of this incredible process to do just that.
Can you remember back when you were an itty bitty and didn't have any care in the world?
Everything was exciting because it was all so new.
Then you started to realize,
Something is not right here,
But I don't know what,
And I don't know how to make it better.
So you would scream and cry until you were hopefully comforted by someone else.
Well,
That sweet baby version of you is still there.
It lives inside of you.
You may have grown in age and size,
But your need to be cared for still exists.
The difference is,
You can now do something about it,
And you don't need anyone but yourself.
Not your partner,
Not your boss,
Not your best friend.
You have everything you need right inside of you all the time.
You just need to be reminded.
So how could you do that?
I'm going to walk you through a few steps that hopefully resonate with you in a way that you can come back to knowing that child inside.
Here's step one.
Find a picture of yourself before the age of four.
Ideally,
One that makes you happy when you see it.
Once you've found it,
Make it the background of your phone so you have it at all times.
Step two.
Look deeply into that little babe's heart.
Look into their soul,
And remember how precious you are.
Step three.
Using that very photo,
Ask yourself,
What would he or she need in the present moment to be cared for?
If mean thoughts are coming up,
Looking into that photo,
Ask,
Would I say those things to her?
If you're numbing with food or alcohol,
Look into that photo again and ask,
Would I want her to drink that?
Would I give her that to eat?
Would this nourish his body?
If you're pushing yourself too much,
Ask,
Would I push him that hard?
If you're saying yes to yet another event,
Go back to that photo once again and ask,
Would I want that for them when what they really need is to take a nap?
Step four.
Remind yourself that little you is fully alive and need you to care for them at the same level you would care for an innocent child that you loved.
Step five.
Take a deep breath and make a better choice for the little you who needs it so badly.
Choose love.
Choose the things that they would need to be cared for right in that moment.
Step six.
Love hard on yourself exactly the way you would for that innocent child.
Do you need to be rocked,
Swaddled up tight and put to bed,
Told that you're enough,
That you're loved,
That you're perfect exactly as you are?
Give yourself what you need.
Give yourself what you need to hear and what you need to feel.
Don't wait for anyone else.
You can give it to yourself right now.
Using this process,
I recently made the background of my phone a picture of when I was a sweet little girl my first time that I had met a horse.
When I first got this picture about a year ago,
I started to weep.
I wept because I immediately remembered the pain that was in my life from an abusive father when I looked at that beautiful little girl.
All I could think was,
How could anyone ever hurt her?
Can't you see how sweet and good she is?
Before knowing about this exercise,
I already knew that that sweet little girl still lives inside of me and she still needs to be cared for and I can do that for myself.
I can do that every day.
Will you care for the sweet innocent baby you that so desperately wants your love and attention?
Join me in making the image front and center of that sweet baby version of you.
Make it front and center in your life.
Use it as a tool to keep yourself in alignment.
Love yourself in all the ways you missed and all the ways you know to be true.
Everyone will benefit when you do.
Namaste.
