One of my clients has been blogging her way through the coaching experience. After years of holding all her thoughts inside, she’s discovered that writing helps her reveal herself to herself. Recently, we revisted an old topic — ♥ self love.♥
This client (who goes by the anonymous title of Spudsie, a childhood nickname) is an animated writer, so if you go to read this entry, hang on for a wild ride. She’s also “into” references to Winnie-the-Pooh characters. She’s been channeling Eeyore for years, and she wants to experience more of Tigger.
Take a look at her blog post, here
I mention this because the subject of self-love comes up often in the Happiness conversation. Spudsie’s struggle is similar to what I see many people go thru, and I really admire her courage in posting her progress on the web. I’m also impressed with the support she gets from her internet friends across the country. Her struggles mirror the struggles that other people have, and so she’s created a sort of learning-together community.
♥ ♥ What’s Love Got to Do With Happiness? ♥ ♥
Two weeks ago I heard a series of great motivations talks where the message of self-responsibility was a constant theme. I attended sessions with a professional speaker from Australia who lived in the UK, a Maori warrior who talks on leadership, a life coach from Vancouver, BC, a Malay gentleman who runs a global school for professional speakers, and an Irish expat who lives in Singapore.
My learning: no matter where you’re from or where on the globe you live, one of the most powerful ways to change your world is to change how you behave, and let the rest of you grow into it.
So the message I brought back into my conversations is this: If you want the rest of the world to like you/love you/treat you better, guess what? — you have to love yourself, first. And if you start behaving like you do, after a while you’ll find that ♥ Loving You ♥ starts to feel more and more natural. Eventually, if you practice self-love enough, your old habits of putting yourself down will hold less power over you, and self confidence will show up more often.
And in that space, you’ll find more Happiness.
So, how might you love yourself more? What practice(s) could help you feel more loved, loving, and lovable? (e.g. a simple start might be looking at your own reflection in the mirror and saying, “I love you just the way you are…”). What physical postures/practices/language would model the way you want to grow into? Identify a few of those, and start practicing.
As your ♥ self-love ♥ muscles grow stronger, be prepared for your world to start shifting.
In ♥ love ♥ and happiness, Coach Jim