Kindness Challenge - Week 3
Created by Niki Meadows
#RevOfKindness @NikiMeadowsWA

Self-Acceptance

Self-esteem

Who am I supposed to be?  The person everyone can depend on--the person who tries to help others.  As the eldest of four children, that's how I was raised.  My mother needed my support--support I wasn't emotionally capable of giving at seven years old.  Often, she expressed disappointment in me for failing to meet her expectations.  When I was older, she admitted, "You didn't have much of a childhood."

My siblings looked up to me; I was their Big Sister.  At times, I resented my parents' assertion that I should make sacrifices for the "younger children."  If I complained that something was unfair, I was told I was selfish.  The criticism worked.  I developed negative feelings about myself, which took half of my adult life to resolve.

Who am I, really?  A person who cares deeply about other people, but who seldom relies on anyone else.  People often come to me for comfort or advice; I seldom go to them.  I'd like to change that, if I could--to reach out when I need help, without feeling that I shouldn't. Sometimes, it's difficult to accept who I am when other people don't, or won't, especially family.  They view me in a different context than my friends.  We have a long history and years of baggage...

That's what I've come to understand.  I won't be defined by anyone else, nor will I be defeated.  Once I learned to accept other people's shortcomings, I learned to accept mine.  I have many reasons to love my life, to count my blessings every day.  Forgiveness and gratitude are essential to a healthy body, mind, and spirit.

I don't know about "unconditionally," but I can laugh at my mistakes and not take myself so seriously.  That's a good start!

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Suggested reading:

www.amazon.com/dp/B0078XGEK2

From Amazon:

Perhaps no book in this generation has had a more profound impact on our intellectual and spiritual lives than The Road Less Traveled. With sales of more than seven million copies in the United States and Canada, and translations into more than twenty-three languages, it has made publishing history, with more than ten years on the New York Times bestseller list.

Written in a voice that is timeless in its message of understanding, The Road Less Traveled continues to help us explore the very nature of loving relationships and leads us toward a new serenity and fullness of life.  It helps us learn how to distinguish dependency from love; how to become a more sensitive parent; and ultimately how to become one's own true self.

Recognizing that, as in the famous opening line of his book, "Life if difficult" and that the journey to spiritual growth is a long one, Dr. Peck never bullies his readers, but rather guides them gently through the hard and often painful process of change toward a higher level of self-understanding.

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Happy reading, happy writing, and happy thoughts!