Thoughts
There are lots of critics out there. We must make decisions based on our own value system and needs. I found myself judging others based on their decisions but then was able to take perspective and recognize that their reasoning was not without rationale and was simply different than mine. I also noticed that it took me some time to stop listening to others and listen to my own intuition. Perfection is an unattainable goal.
Changing old habits is not an easy task as I have learned over the past year. It is not just a place and the people around you that affect your ability to cultivate play and rest but you can easily become conditioned to think play and rest are a waste of time. In fact, today’s culture does not encourage it. Sports have become hard work and expectations are high. Jobs have increased duties and after work responsibilities are overwhelming for many.
Creativity is everywhere. It is creating a birthday party for your cat, solving a complex problem, writing, dancing, singing, cooking and painting. It is not good or bad, right or wrong, better or worse or valuable or worthless. It is an expression of you that if left trapped inside will prevent your heart from opening and sharing your true self with the world
According to Brené Brown's research, a resilient spirit requires good problem solving skills, good emotional regulation skills, willingness to reach out for help, faith that life will go on, solid support connections and being resourceful and having an infinite sense of humor helps a lot!
For me personally it is not completely natural for me to offer myself compassion. It seems like making excuses and detrimental to learning from mistakes. I think I deserve to be criticized and am on guard to not make mistakes much of the time. It can be exhausting!
Being our authentic selves is not easy. So many of us don’t really know who we are and what we want we can’t see our authentic selves. God bless those of you who have this down. It is a daily struggle for me and takes awareness (hence my mindfulness practice – had to get that in there!) and a willingness to be honest and the ability to let go of worrying about what other people think.
