Love Yourself
Many people ask me how I motivate myself. I respond, "How do you motivate others? Are you positive or critical?"
Pat and I have talked about this topic many times. This morning, Pat just said in a very point blank way: “You need to love yourself!” Many high-achievers are extremely critical of themselves. They frequently beat themselves up for the most minor mishaps. They never feel they have done enough to make themselves and their families proud.
Being introspective is not a bad thing, indeed, it helps you avoid being aloof and keeps you working harder towards your goals. Being overly critical of yourself however, plays an opposite role when you start to blame yourself for every unfortunate event in your life. It becomes a heavy load that drags you deeper and deeper into a sea of hopelessness and despair. You may spend all your efforts fighting the darkness and end up drowning in depression.
Depression kills your spirit, creativity and dreams. Life without dreams and hope is like living in Azkanban. Over time, you turn into a dementor, sucking hope and joy out of the people around you. Love yourself if you want to be the source of happiness, courage and inspiration.
How do overly critical high-achievers learn to love yourself and get out the dark and cold Azkanban? Write down your accomplishments and happy moments. Read them every morning when you get up. Look into mirror and smile at the image looking back. Look at the positive side of each event during the day. Stop and smell the roses...meaning enjoy the small positive things around you. By the end of the day, share your roses instead of thorns with your friends and family. Reward yourself as you accomplish your goals, celebrate with your friends and family, share your happiness with people you love. They will be sincerely happy for you.
As we travel life's long journey experiencing success and failures, we all need someone who will give us unconditional love. That person should be yourself first. Instead of being our own worst enemy, we need to be our own best friend and biggest supporter. Love yourself unconditionally, dream about your bright future, exude positive energy, light up a room when you walk in, brighten a conversation when you join a group, put laughter on the dinner table, smile at happy events, laugh at dismal events.
As Pat said, “Love yourself!” Always be there for yourself supporting yourself unconditionally, live to your fullest potential and have fun!
Elizabeth Xu
Pat and I have talked about this topic many times. This morning, Pat just said in a very point blank way: “You need to love yourself!” Many high-achievers are extremely critical of themselves. They frequently beat themselves up for the most minor mishaps. They never feel they have done enough to make themselves and their families proud.
Being introspective is not a bad thing, indeed, it helps you avoid being aloof and keeps you working harder towards your goals. Being overly critical of yourself however, plays an opposite role when you start to blame yourself for every unfortunate event in your life. It becomes a heavy load that drags you deeper and deeper into a sea of hopelessness and despair. You may spend all your efforts fighting the darkness and end up drowning in depression.
Depression kills your spirit, creativity and dreams. Life without dreams and hope is like living in Azkanban. Over time, you turn into a dementor, sucking hope and joy out of the people around you. Love yourself if you want to be the source of happiness, courage and inspiration.
How do overly critical high-achievers learn to love yourself and get out the dark and cold Azkanban? Write down your accomplishments and happy moments. Read them every morning when you get up. Look into mirror and smile at the image looking back. Look at the positive side of each event during the day. Stop and smell the roses...meaning enjoy the small positive things around you. By the end of the day, share your roses instead of thorns with your friends and family. Reward yourself as you accomplish your goals, celebrate with your friends and family, share your happiness with people you love. They will be sincerely happy for you.
As we travel life's long journey experiencing success and failures, we all need someone who will give us unconditional love. That person should be yourself first. Instead of being our own worst enemy, we need to be our own best friend and biggest supporter. Love yourself unconditionally, dream about your bright future, exude positive energy, light up a room when you walk in, brighten a conversation when you join a group, put laughter on the dinner table, smile at happy events, laugh at dismal events.
As Pat said, “Love yourself!” Always be there for yourself supporting yourself unconditionally, live to your fullest potential and have fun!
Elizabeth Xu
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