Really?
This came from a book someone gave me years ago, written by Louise Hay. If you haven't run across her work, she is a big proponent of what she calls Mirror Work. In workshops she conducted, she asked participants to look at their own reflections in hand held mirrors, telling themselves a few kind words. She found that many were unable to do this and quite a few burst into tears.
Why is it easy for us to extend kind words to others and deny the very same to ourselves?
I remember the first few times I complimented myself as I passed a mirror in my hallway.
"Nice job on stripping that funky wallpaper off the bathroom walls today!" I felt a bit ridiculous, especially as I spoke to myself so enthusiastically, as if I were someone else giving me the "thumbs up."
One night, I looked at myself and thanked my reflection for getting me through an especially challenging day. I expressed gratitude to my very tired feet for all the traveling they allowed me to do and then found more things I could thank myself for doing that day.
Once while at a party, I slipped away to find the bathroom. After admiring the unusual and colorful art on the walls, I gave myself a cheesy grin and was mortified. Spinach dip, and the thing was, I hadn't eaten any for the last hour. Doing the math, that meant I had been mingling with countless people for over an hour without knowing I was revealing my snack trail. Sheesh. No one told me, but then again, who wants to be the one to tell someone their smile is less than presentable? I ended up laughing so hard, I could hardly breathe. Mortification? Really? Over spinach dip?
Today, find a mirror somewhere along your travels and give yourself a quick message (of kindness)....thank yourself for brightening someone's day, for facing a challenge, or just for being there. Even if you feel your hair is less than optimally up to snuff, the day will be a good one anyway.
It gets easier the more you do it.
No comments:
Post a Comment