A few years ago I caught myself being quite unkind to myself in my self-talk, the things I was telling myself about me. Two of my sweetest, most soft-hearted friends came to my mind and I imagined myself saying those same things to them. They would've been crushed, broken-hearted and wounded.
I felt sick and sad, thinking of hurting them. I would never, ever say those things to anyone important to me. Ever. Never ever. If I talked that way to my friends I would certainly have no friends at all! So ought I be saying them to myself? Did that mean that I don't consider myself of value or important? What was I doing? How was this helpful or beneficial to me? What kind of friend was I being to myself?
At that moment, things changed for me forever. I realized that I never want to treat anyone like I was treating myself. And I should never treat myself that way. I should be as kind to myself as I am to everyone else. When you look in the mirror, please, please be as lovely to you as you are to everyone around you.
2 comments:
what beautiful thoughts! it hits home for me today as i just talked with my 11 year old daughter yesterday .....she constantly tears herself down as she talks and it breaks my heart....i told her we are going to really work on focusing on truth and not unkind things we think about ourselves.
thanks for this....xo
Barb,
Thanks so much for sharing your exp. with your darling girl. She is a beautiful and talented young woman! This is definitely a lesson I wish I'd learned as a teenager. Oh, how many things I would've done differently!
What a gift we can give to the young ones we have influence with. Imagine saving them years of anguish by helping them learn to love and accept themselves at a young age! And what a responsibility we have to set the example! Wow.
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