Over the recent months, I have received an increasing amount of communication from some of you, my beautiful readers, in regards to various matters. Firstly, I want to say, how deeply touched I am by the kind & loving words that I receive. Each letter, email, or comment really affects me & brings a smile to my face & occasionally, a joyous tear to my cheek. I love reading all of your words & I want to assure you, that I will always have the time to receive or reply to them, so don't stop!
The contents of these communications, as I say, are varied, however, something that inspired me with my fourth resolution was, the feeling of 'not enough'. This is not so much about seeking things externally, but more so about how we come to expect too much of ourselves. We seem to be the first to put ourselves up on pedestals & the first to knock ourselves off! I think it's fair to say, that whilst we may occasionally find ourselves in judgement of others, it is usually because we are silently & at times harshly, judging ourselves.
How easily do we tear ourselves apart, often over the smallest of things. Whether it be our physicality, our work, our creativity, our overall life accomplishments. We can go from feeling on top of the world, to one comment away from exploding into a handful of emotional confetti. It would seem that out of everyone, we need to be the first person to start cutting ourselves some slack. Start accepting some of our own flaws & equally, our own emotional sensitivities.
After all, life is a fluid motion, going from one minute to the next, day after day, year after year. We are not capable of being happy, or energized or motivated at every moment of that time. It would be unnatural. We need to accept that there will be low points from time to time. Occasionally we need to flat line, in order to rest & recharge. Sometimes it's important to take a step back, be alone, find peace in some solitude. It is not weak, it is not wrong & most importantly, you do not, I repeat, YOU DO NOT need to apologise for this!
The more we start to accept ourselves, as we are, the less we seek approval from others & perhaps in turn, this feeling of inner harmony helps to ease our judgement of others. Which, considering most of these judgements tend to be a projection of our own internal issues, it would probably be a healthy start dealing with them.
At a very basic level, when you look at the world, everyone is battling their own inner demons, whether they're the size of tiny mice, slowly nibbling away at their core, like it's a piece of cheddar, or a lion, preparing to rip them to shreds. It's important to keep that in mind when you fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others. Yes, perhaps on the surface they look like they've got their shit together, but really, they have their down days too.
So stop worrying. Stop comparing. Feel what you feel, when you feel it. Don't suppress the sadness any more than you suppress the joy. Allow yourself the downs & enjoy the ups. Accept every part of you. If there's something you aren't happy with, do something about it, but make it a positive change, don't simply dim your light having beaten yourself up over it. We all change & evolve over time, so have some patience. Most importantly of all, please remember, you are already enough!
“I think by knowing who we are as people & being ourselves, we can start making the world better.”
N.B. All photos accompanying my Happiness Project posts will be taken from one of my Pinterest boards, which hosts all the images that make me happy. Feel free to check it out in the meantime, for more happy snaps.
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