“Self esteem is a personal issue. No one can give that to you. No one can take that from you. It’s yours and you own it!”
How often do we look at our current state of being and feel the need to justify it by listing all of the negative and unpleasant experiences we have had in our lives? While it is true that our beliefs are directly impacted by our upbringing, our environment, culture, race and religious beliefs, we decide where the past ends and the future begins.
“It’s not where you’re from; it’s where you’re at!” ~RAKIM
We are responsible to own our destiny once we reach adulthood despite the challenges we may have faced as a child. The time will come when blaming Mom, Dad and any unfortunate series of events will no longer suffice. We have to accept the truth that it is not where we come from or where we have been BUT what is most important, is WHERE we are going. That is a decision we all have to make.
We can’t change our past, whether it was good or bad. We can’t pick our parents or our families. If we have been victims of abuse, sufferers of disease or survivors of accidents, we inevitably must deal the hand of cards that we have been dealt and play our best hand at life in spite of it all.
“No matter what anybody says’, what matters most is what you think of yourself.” ~INDIA ARIE
Whenever we are ready, we can decide to drive our lives in the direction we would like it to go. What YOU think about you HAS TO BE more important, than what anyone else thinks. As long as you believe the best about yourself, no one can stand in your way. This single factor separates the leaders from the followers, the women from the girls, and the greatest from the good.
Self love is a process and a road that we must all travel on our own. No one can do it for you and once you attain it, no one can take it from you. If you are lacking in this area and you are ready to grow, here are just a few steps to get you started in the right direction:
Ingredients for healthy Self Esteem:
- Rid yourself of any “Stinking Thinking” and replenish your mind with positive affirmations.
- Surround yourself with progressive and loving people that add to your life instead of draining your energy.
- Begin to purge your life of toxic behaviors, thoughts and people. Do a new thing and get new results. Step out of your box.
- Don’t be afraid to love people from afar. That includes your family members if they are hindering your healing process. It is okay and necessary to be selective about whom you let in your inner circle. Quantity is not necessarily quality.
- Be gentle with yourself because it takes time to unlearn behaviors and ideas that you have had for many years. Having a painful past or experience causes emotional scars and they take time to heal.
Food for thought:
Penny for your thoughts! Write in and share your ingredients for healthy self esteem.
As you go forth, trust that the universe will provide you with whom and what you need at the just the right time to assist you. Envision yourself as Dorothy walking along the yellow brick road. Know that there will be wisdom. There will be courage. There will be love. Open up your heart to receive it and then open your hands to give it away. Love is never in short supply. It regenerates. As you give it, it multiplies. Abundant life begins with loving yourself and self esteem is the main ingredient to true success. No one ever wins the blame game, so switch gears and let’s travel down this high road together.
