Just be yourself… that should be easy enough, right?! After all, who else could you be if you cannot be yourself?! If we factually can only be ourselves, in all our glory and authenticity, then why do we so often try to be someone else or lessor than we are? Why do we dilute who we truly are, and absorb characteristics of others? Why is it so hard to believe that we can be loved, supported, and accepted for who WE ARE? Being authentic, although it sounds simple, is one of the more difficult behaviors to conquer. The more we understand, the more we can be comfortable in our own skin, the more we will be free, and the more we will truly sparkle.
There are so many media, social, and expectational inlets into our bodies, souls, and personalities. We are inundated with statements and products impressing upon us that we are not good enough. That we need to be better, that we are lacking, we are not pretty enough, smart enough, or thin enough. And we listen. We listen to all the naysayers like our life depended on it. We are pliable and malleable and believe that we, in all our perfection, are not enough. But we are enough. We are perfect, if only we could believe it. We look to others for our self-confidence. We look to strangers to tell us how to look, feel, and what to eat. We critique ourselves and nitpick everything. We are harsh and brutal critics to ourselves. We are our own worst enemy.
To survive, nix that… to thrive in this life, we MUST start believing in our magnificence. We must believe that we are worthy. We must believe that we are enough. And we must love ourselves. But how? How can we be expected to shut out the haters? How can we learn not to lean into every new fad, product, workout… always trying to outdo ourselves and our “neighbors?” We must look inside ourselves. We must look at ourselves like we deserve to be looked at, with love, acceptance, and appreciation. We must give ourselves space to heal, to become whole, and to flourish.
You have 90 seconds from when you say or think something negative before it is released into the Universe. That is 90 seconds to reverse the negative thought or comment before it is too late. Take that 90 seconds and not only take back what you said but repeat a positive affirmation and (here’s the kicker) believe it! Take a deep breath, reverse the negative tone, replace it with a positive one, and then smile like you mean it. Fake it ‘til you make it. These actions will release endorphins and will rewire your brain to feel love, acceptance, and appreciation. Slowly but surely you will start to see yourself in a new light. You will see your beauty. You will see your power. You will see your gifts and you will radiate! Suddenly the world will look different, you will have taken your power back, and it will feel MARVELOUS!