“Self judgment resides where self acceptance wishes to be.” don Miguel Ruiz, Jr., The Five Levels of Attachment
For your whole life you have been creating your idea of who you are. This idea is composed of your beliefs about life…how it works and what it’s all about. It contains your beliefs about your family, friends, loved ones and co-workers…how you perceive them and what you think about them. This idea you have created about who you are is based on where you grew up, how much money you make, your education, your friends, what kind of job you have, the family you have created, who you love, how much success or failure you have experienced, if you’ve had cancer or MS or diabetes or any other life changing kind of illness…and a myriad of other things.
Your whole life has been about building the image of yourself in relation to the ‘other stuff’ in your life. You are a survivor and victim, a success and a failure, rich and poor, well thought of and despised, inspired and depressed, loved and abused, intelligent and stupid, a people pleaser, a doormat, a confidant, the best and the worst, fearful, in need, hopeless, triumphant.
We can look at the ‘other stuff’ and judge our self based on what or where we think we should be, what we should have done or how we might have done something different. We have this idea that our life should look a certain way. This is where our judgment resides….in our thoughts and ideas about who we think we are or who we think we should be. If judgment resides in thoughts and ideas then you might realize that you have the power to change them…to decide on a different story about who you really are.
You still have the same life history…but you are not bound to it. You still have the same body…but you are more than your body. You are in the same life circumstance…but you are not ruled by it. You see…self acceptance can take the seat…it can reside in your consciousness without changing one single outward circumstance.
Self acceptance is being our self without judgment…to be our whole, unique and amazing self…with all our bruises and all of our gold stars…and to be happy with the package.
Today…be the best YOU that you can be.
Peace
Paula
2 Responses
Paula, As usual, your new post was exactly what I needed to hear right now. I am learning lessons every day as I navigate my current health issues and continue to move forward and stay balanced (physically and mentally!). Seeing myself as I really am, accepting myself, and learning to turn off the “old messages”: this is my new message. Thank you for your words, your teaching, your wisdom, and for sharing all this with love. Hope to see you soon,
With gratitude,
Debby
Thank you for your note Debby. You are in my thoughts and prayers as you move in this phase of your life.
Peace always.
Paula