Being kinder to ourselves!

How often do we look in the mirror and say,
“Oh self (your name,) I am so sorry I’ve been so hard on you. How could I have judged you so harshly? Please forgive me and know how much I love, respect and cherish you.”
Then tenderly take face in hands as a gentle lover would, and deeply receive that love and respect.

Why wouldn’t we give ourselves the kind
of love and compassion we express to others, the kind we often wait in vain for others to offer us, when we really need to be giving it to ourselves?
We are not trained that way. That kind of self -acceptance and self-acknowledgment is still not part of our programming. Even though we know better, we silently and often unconsciously scoff at such behavior, believing it to be narcissistic and self-indulgent.

I was sitting casually drinking coffee recently and caught myself running an old tape of self-judgment. I was shocked to realize the voice was admonishing me as a parent would a child because I hadn’t yet realized certain goals I had set for myself.  Inside, I had started to turn away from myself with subtle thoughts of,  “How could I be this great mentor and counselor and not attain my own goals…?  Ah, the trap of judgment and comparison!

My inner wisdom then clicked in and I heard the voice of my higher self reminding me,

Remember who you are.
Do not compare yourself with others.
Remember who you are.
You are not your attainments.

You are not here to prove yourself or to perform.
You are here to embody LOVE in its fullest form.
This is your mission.
Remember! Remember!”

And so, in this time of deep purging on many levels – of the old paradigm of self-sacrifice and self-denigration – subtle or otherwise, I offer the following:

That, as we choose to be kinder to ourselves and to love, forgive and respect ourselves, we can offer that deeper love, forgiveness and respect to all others through our very be-ing!

It all starts within!