There Is Nothing Wrong With You

For many of us, we spend a lot of time thinking of ways we can improve.  We could eat better, be a better parent, exercise more, be more spiritual, or give more to those in need.  We can stop spending so much time dwelling on our personal shortcomings.  We can never achieve perfection.  The truth is, many of our “faults” can be considered “strengths.”  

“You’re always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company.” 

Diane Von Furstenberg

Evidence that there is nothing wrong with you:

• You’re living your best life in the way that you know how. 
• You make mistakes like everyone else, which allows you to learn as you go.
• You’re an individual, the one and only you.  There is no one else in the world like you. 
• Avoid the temptation to “should” all over yourself.
• You do not need to “become” someone – you are already someone right now.
• If someone hurts you, it is not your fault and you do not deserve it.
• You feel emotions and respond to them.
• You make choices based on current information and do what you think is best.
• You are beautiful, inside and out.

“What self-acceptance does is open up more possibilities of succeeding because you aren’t fighting yourself along the way.” 

Shannon Ables

Many times we are willing to take the blame for events but not take credit where it is due. We need to be aware (even if only internally) of the many things we do right in our lives and take credit for these successes.  Try and avoid focusing on the mistakes and bad decisions.   Let go of the ways you’ve done or been wrong.

In one experiment, researchers at Carnegie-Mellon University found that a mindfulness app that featured acceptance as part of its training reduced the impact of stress on its subjects. In a more recent experiment from the same research team, subjects who used the app showed increased feelings of sociability and decreased feelings of loneliness.

“No amount of self-improvement can make up for any lack of self-acceptance.” 

Robert Holden

Stay away from social media and the inaccurate messages portrayed there.  No one’s life is as perfect as it appears on Facebook or Instagram.  For everyone, life is a series of ups and downs.  Like the ebb and flow of the ocean, our lives go through positive and negative times.  We need to learn to ride the wave of the negative times in order to get back on the crest of positive times. Just because you may have forgotten how perfect you are, doesn’t mean it is not a reality.