Each one of us deep inside wants to feel good about who we are. Simply put we want to accept, respect and love ourselves and have people in our lives who appreciate us just for who we are.
One of my friends had been struggling for years with being overweight. It bothered her greatly. She wanted to weigh less and had over the years tried many diets. She did well for a while and then the weight crept back up again. She would say to herself that she could not feel good about herself until she lost the weight.
Many people can relate to how she felt. What she did not understand for a long time was that the biggest obstacle was what she said to herself. Her premise was that she could not feel good about herself until she accomplished her goal. It is no wonder that she was so discouraged. Her internal communication was filled with put downs and self loathing. Yet in her professional life she was a successful business woman. She could not appreciate these strengths because there was this other voice inside saying “I am a failure”.
The key to building a strong personal foundation is to accept oneself exactly where one is now. My friend had to learn to shift her thinking to “I am OK now”. By accepting herself she freed herself up to begin strengthening her “I value myself muscle”. Acceptance is the starting point for doing the work to build a strong foundation. It is by taking the right action that reinforces personal growth that allows us to bring forth the greatness within.
