What’s Right With Us?
If you have ever ridden a train facing backwards, it’s easy to see where you have been. As we distance ourselves from what we just passed, the view becomes broader and our perspective is greater. Similarly, as we travel through life, the things that we have experienced also become clearer, if we take the time to reflect on the events that are now in our rear-view mirror. Looking back may be as important as looking forward.
Using this train analogy, when we look back on events that helped to define us and our life experiences, an internal narrative or pattern may be obvious, especially during periods of past difficulty and stress. What did we tell ourselves during uncomfortable times? Perhaps our narrative was based in fear of what we might not achieve, or perhaps we tried to convince ourselves that a situation would not work out. It’s possible that we felt lost and totally unprepared for some of life’s challenges because we doubted our own abilities.
Looking back, it’s clear that somehow we survived those difficult times, but could we have navigated them with greater ease if we had spent more time focused on our strengths? People often have difficulty acknowledging their own attributes, especially to themselves. Every day, we need to make a conscious effort to acknowledge what’s right with us and recognize our successes. Plus this feels good!
Positive begets positive, broadening what’s possible for us.
In so doing, we see ourselves in a positive way. We build our self-worth and our self-esteem and are better able to succeed with the next challenge. Celebrating our strengths enables us to feel more confident. With increased confidence we are better able to transfer these valuable skills to other worthy endeavors. Positive begets positive, broadening what’s possible for us.
Making this psychological shift towards self-appreciation benefits our efforts. Looking back we may realize how important it is to have faith and confidence in our own ability.
Guidance for celebrating what’s right with us?
1. How did you receive a compliment today?
2. In times of distress, did you catch yourself being self-critical?
3. What did you appreciate about yourself today?
