The Self Appreciation Society!
Who would like to join my new club? This month marks the beginning of The Self Appreciation Society and memberships are now available, they are also free and your subscription starts as soon as you smile. Great! So many new members already and thanks for joining as it was getting weird here alone smiling gently at myself (not! I actually do it often) and its medicine, a remedy for moments when we need a lift and we are all we have.
A general appreciating of oneself is often nipped in the bud early in this life, especially in this country, that is strictly for others to bestow upon you, a bit like a nickname. You can’t just waltz around thinking you’re great, being quite pleased with who and how you are, this will draw the wrong kind of attention surely. A nickname that you will never live down “Cocky want a cracker” or “Tall Poppy Doggy Dog”. So the alternative is to lean more subtly towards seeking approval, validation, a sense of belonging to something that might acknowledge your support with a reward like a badge. The point is that it’s important to closely watch this behaviour within ourselves and start to question why we say what we say, wear what we wear or frequent certain places etc.
Are we genuinely expressing ourselves freely and creatively in each moment or are we conditioned and invested in certain rewarding outcomes such as praise, or being seen and heard? Which is healthy, natural and absolutely required. It’s this sneaky persistent seeking which can lead to a continual sense of lacking as we pursue these things outside of ourselves day in day out. I have certainly inexperienced my fair share of suffering upon this dance floor!
So today I rest these weary legs for a moment and turn my attention inward and softly smile inward at the version of myself I am, at the mistakes I’ve made, towards the misunderstandings, along with all I have achieved, endured, experienced, expressed and felt. Stand vertical in myself, value my body, my heart and my mind. I really do appreciate myself and in the mornings and the last thing at night are great opportunities to arrive in the moment, empty, soften the eyes and smile inward and appreciate the privilege of being alive and the gift of being uniquely you!
Shane
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