Article 1, 2007

INSPIRITRIX.COM

Article 1, 2007

AN ADVENTURE IN APPRECIATION

“Commit to discovering, acknowledging, appreciating, owning, and honoring your personal gifts.”
—Sarah Ban Breathnach

Sometimes, we are our own harshest critic. I like to think of myself as an efficiency expert, but what that really means is that I see every minute thing that either could have been done better or that still needs to be done, thereby negating all the things that have been accomplished and taking all of the fun out of the things yet to be carried out. That can lead to plenty of frustration if I am not careful and aware enough to lighten up on myself.

We are taught in our families, schools, churches and work communities to “keep up” and “get it right,” lest we lag behind our social counterparts and fail to climb the ladder of success, so we learn to work harder and faster for that proverbial carrot that we never quite seem able to reach. Whose carrot are we after, anyway? Are our personal gifts blossoming or withering from such perfectionism?

I say STOP! It is time to go on adventure in self-appreciation. You are already great at being you. Now, be your own validation. Instead of a New Year’s resolution to improve yourself, every January 1, do a New Year’s admiration to approve of yourself. Find 100 things to admire and appreciate about yourself from the previous year (come on, you can do it), and that will set you on a better path with more momentum to carry you through to the fruition of your new goals than any resolution could.

It is important to do this for yourself so you won’t long to get approval from other people who can’t give it to you anyway. I love how the author Alan Cohen puts it: “Forget about proving yourself, and just be yourself. People who do not understand you will not settle for any proof, and people who appreciate you do not need any proof.”

There is a lot about you to value, and it is paramount that you do the valuing. If you want a loving nudge, start with the fact that you care enough about yourself to read an article like this, and, furthermore, you can actually read these words or you can hear someone read them to you. There, only 98 more to go.

“Would you sell both your eyes for a million dollars...or your two legs...or your hands...or your hearing? Add up what you do have, and you'll find you won't sell them for all the gold in the world. The best things in life are yours, if you can appreciate them.”
—Dale Carnegie

© Copyright 2007 by Robin Wilder. All rights reserved. Please honor this copyright. While this publication is intended for mass distribution, it's not to be altered in any way. You may copy it for your personal use or forward it to people whom you feel may benefit from receiving it, or you may post it to any newsgroups or forums, provided you copy or post it in the same form as it was originally published and the signature and copyright information are included in full. Editors and publishers are free to reprint this article as long as previous written notice is given (email is acceptable) and it is reprinted in its entirety with the signature and copyright information included in full. If you have any questions or comments, please send us an email or visit www.inspiritrix.com for additional contact information.

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