|
Home / Personal Development
Self-appreciation: The Key To Living A Life Of Joy
By:Gwen Nyhus Stewart
How do you appreciate yourself? Or do you? Did you learn that being good to yourself was selfish? If you said 'No' were you bad? If you praised yourself or were praised, were people afraid you might get a 'swelled head'? Most of us get the message loud and clear that praising ourselves or others would lead to 'becoming conceited' or 'slacking off.' The tragedy of this belief is that, in fact, the very opposite is true. What you pay attention to expands. Self-appreciation and appreciation of others is based on love and acceptance. In other words, as I am willing to love me, I am capable of loving you.
Much of what we say and do is called 'constructive criticism.' This means I tell you something supposedly for 'your own good.' What actually happens is that I judge what you do and say based on 'should' then I tell you how to 'do it right.' In other words, criticism is destructive and leads people to feelings of inadequacy: love and acceptance lead to feelings of self-worth. Remember: the most important task you have is loving and accepting yourself.
What is Self-appreciation?
Self is defined as the entire person of an individual while appreciation is defined as a judgement or evaluation; an expression of admiration, approval, or gratitude. Self-appreciation is about saying: 'I accept myself exactly as I am.' It is about acknowledging our unique gifts and knowing within each of us is a highly creative, skilled being just waiting for discovery.
Self-appreciation is not about putting others down or thinking yourself better; it is about loving ourselves the way we are and in turn loving others the way they are. Remember: I can only accept and love you if I am willing to love and accept myself and acknowledge my own self-worth.
In the final analysis, as the Dalai Lama states, "The purpose of our lives is to be happy." Happiness in my mind equates with joy. The joy, without which all other joy is diminished, is joy in one's self. Self-pride and self-joy are as vital to the individual as are air and water. Self-appreciation is the cornerstone in determining one's health, one's success, and one's abundance and prosperity in both our public and our private lives.
Practical Steps to Self-appreciation
1. Declare your uniqueness. There will never be another you; another who is exactly like you; another who will make a contribution to the planet in exactly the way that you do.
2. Look for the things you like about yourself. Write them down and then focus on one thing a day, e.g. 'I am competent' or 'I am creative' or 'I am now creating my ideal life.'
3. Forgive yourself. The past is over; know that you were doing the best you could with your level of knowledge and understanding at that time.
4. Use affirmations to remind yourself of your sacredness. Put them on the fridge, mirrors, wherever, to remind yourself that you are unique. For example, 'I like and appreciate myself,' 'I am a loveable, valuable person and deserve the best life has to offer.'
5. Read books that inspire you. Books such as daily meditations, thoughts for the day, sayings and quotations from inspirational leaders set the tone for creating an attitude of joy and/or peace before you start your day.
6. Practice an 'attitude of gratitude.' We have created much to be thankful for, our health, our abundance, and our freedoms. Carry a small notebook with you and write down everything that you are grateful for all day long. You will be amazed at all the blessings in your life - your friends, your family, your job, your warm home, the fact that you don't have to worry about stepping on landmines or getting your head blown off as you step out a door.
7. Be true to yourself. Live the life you have envisioned for your self. Don't look to others for approval; look within, and you will find it all.
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: self-appreciation, joy, uniqueness, affirmations, gratitude, self-love, self-worth, self-acceptance
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
Gwen Nyhus Stewart, B.S.W., M.G., H.T., is an educator, freelance writer, garden consultant, and author of the book The Healing Garden: A Place Of Peace – Gardening For The Soil, Gardening For The Soul and booklet Non-toxic Alternatives For Everyday Cleaning And Gardening Chores. She owns the website Gwen’s Healing Garden where you will find lots of free information about gardening for the soil and gardening for the soul. To find out more about the book and subscribe to her free Newsletter visit www.gwenshealinggarden.ca
Gwen Nyhus Stewart © 2004 – 2006. All rights reserved.
|
|
| Top Personal Development Articles |
- 1). What To Do When Your Fears And Worries Overwhelm You By : Stan Popovich
What do you do when your worries and anxieties overwhelm you? Here is a brief list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their worries and anxieties.
Sometimes what we fear may happen can be overly exaggerated. A lot of times, our worrying can make the problem even worse. Remember that all the worrying in the world will not change anything.
|
- 2). Stuttering And Stammering Speech Impediment By : blueboy
Stammering or as it is sometimes known as stuttering is a form of speech impediment.
My name is Stephen Hill and I had a stammer for eighteen years. I went to various types of speech therapy which even though was of some use, never really offered me any hope of a "cure".
At the age of twenty two, after a lot of hard work I managed to overcome the stammer and I now help other people to achieve fluency.
|
- 3). The first 14 dominant laws of the subconscious mind By : Emmanuel Segui
Copyright 2006 Emmanuel Segui
The subconscious mind is fascinating and intriguing. Yet, it is challenging to understand how it works so you can use its full power solve our problems and enhance every aspect of your life.
Here are the difficult principles of the subconscious mind made very easy so you can apply them in your life today and see results tomorrow.
|
- 4). Stop Fear Now By : Denton Krypps
I'm convinced that fear is one of the worst things in life. Think about all of the negative ways that fear affects your life. Think about all of the decisions you make or do not make because of fear in your life. Or think about the risks that you do not take or the relationships you do not pursue because of fear. You would do well to take a good look at the fears in your life and to attempt to tackle them head first until they are no longer fears.
|
|
|
- 6). Avoiding Your Persistent Fears Will Not Make Them Go Away By : Stan Popovich
Your fears, anxieties, and other problems have the best of you and you don’t know where to turn for help. At some point you feel totally helpless as you struggle each day. What do you do?
As a layman and an author of a Managing Fear book, there were times that my fears had the best of me. Through these experiences, there is one thing that I learned.
|
- 7). Success After Failure - Even Genghis Khan Lost Some Early Battles By : John Watson
Both the worst and the best of the great achievers had the belief in themselves and the resilience to overcome early failures. One of these was none other than Genghis Khan. There are powerful lessons we can learn from him.
In 1162 a child, called Temujin, was born in Mongolia clutching a blood clot - a sign that he was destined to be a great warrior.
|
- 8). Crisis Management: The Most Basic Of Needs By : Sandy Baker
Crisis management is something that every individual needs to consider. Whether you are preparing yourself for a crisis situation or if you are responsible for a school full of children, it is necessary to be prepared. There are excellent resources to help you do this and it also helps to take a good look at your individual situation. There are many types of crisis management situations and we will discuss that here.
|
- 9). Being the Mountain By : Judy Ringer
As I hiked up the path to the Peaceful Valley Chapel, I relished the quiet of my early morning solitude. After many years as a participant and assistant instructor at Thomas Crum's Journey To Center Program, this beautiful and energizing ten-minute hike had become a personal ritual. Each morning of each Journey to Center week, before our breathing and meditation session at 7, I always hike to the top of this small mountain to be inspired by the view of a much higher mountain range in the distance.
|
- 10). What Causes People To Develop A Speech Impediment? By : blueboy
I am one of many people who are unfortunate enough to develop a speech impediment in childhood. This article describes why these impediments may occur and how I went about achieving fluency. For the purpose of this article, I concentrate on the speech impediment known as stuttering.
There are many reasons why people may develop a stutter, it can be.
|
| New Personal Development Articles |
- 1). Achieve Emotional Freedom By : ian Williamson
Emotional Freedom Techniques, or EFT as it is most commonly known, is probably the most popular of a group of techniques collectively referred to as Energy Psychology (EP)
|
|
|
- 3). Are You Really Making Decisions? By : Garry Zancanaro
There is a massive difference between hoping and wishing for success, happiness, self improvement, or that something will change in our lives, and actively deciding to make changes to our lives.
|
- 4). Why Self Improvement Is Important - Part 1 By : Garry Zancanaro
An alarming percentage of people spend most of what they earn and many also have large debts. They are often no more that a few paydays away from bankruptcy and have little, if anything, put aside for emergencies, much less for a comfortable retirement.
|
|
|
- 6). Dealing With Frustration By : Garry Zancanaro
We all suffer from frustration, and being able to effectively deal with frustration is a very important skill to develop. It can be a decisive factor between success and failure.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 10). To Move Forward You Have To Be Able To Bounce Back! By : Garry Zancanaro
Successful people are also disappointed and affected by setbacks, and certainly get knocked down more often than most, if only because they try more things. This may happen not once or twice, but dozens or even hundreds of times. But successful people refuse to stay down - because they are resilient and will not be denied their dreams and goals.
|
|
|
