Thursday, March 1, 2012

The courage to change

These interesting looking trees are a problem for people with allergies.

This little gal was guarding her nest.

*******

It's no secret that I'm a BIG advocate for self-improvement. I spent a great deal of my life stuck in misery...fearing change...carrying guilt and shame...having low self-esteem. Once I began to feel the benefits of working on myself, I was hooked. I developed a passion for it that has never diminished in almost 16 years.

It's not always easy or comfortable to look deeply and honestly at ourselves. It wasn't easy for me anyways. I discovered many things about myself that initially made me cringe. And once I stepped out of denial, I had to be willing to change those things. But it helped me to become a better person. And it boosted my self-esteem by taking the right actions.

 I also had to learn to discipline myself. Recently, I've been disciplining myself about exercise (that one's still not easy for me). It's another form of self-improvement. As an incentive to ride my bike  yesterday, I brought my camera along. I gently pushed myself to ride farther than I usually do and it felt good!

Sometimes we have to dig deep for the willingness to do what's right. But by doing so, we build more trust in ourselves; trust that we will do the right thing. And as most of us already know,  procrastination is painful and self-defeating!

******

This girl has eyes and lips...I don't usually add facial details...hmm...a new change?

******

If you deliberately plan on
being less than you are capable of being,
then I warn you
that you'll be unhappy for the rest of your life.

  -Abraham H Maslow

******

"I have the courage to look at myself"

 

2 comments:

  1. Yes! Yes! Yes! It has occurred to me that as a child I wasn't allowed to do so much, such as eating what I wanted when I wanted. I remember my Mom had a stash of chocolate bars in the refrigerator and they were hers....only hers. They had the belief that candy was bad for children so we hardly ever had any candy or really any sweets. As an adult, I have swung that pendulum so far in the opposite direction that I have told myself I can have anything I want when I want! Whew! That certainly doesn't work for me....discipline is most definitely what I need and what I am working on right now. Procrastination...well, that has been my way of life all my life and that serves zero purpose except to stress me out! Such a paradox...when I do whatever it is I know I need to do for me, I always feel so much better, so empowered, yet, it takes me so long to get there! That ego of mine sure does want to keep me sick and stuck but I am here to tell you...today I take my power back, my self-esteem is on the mend and that feels great! So, thanks once again my dear friend, for your loving nudges and for being "gently mean" lol xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love your drawing with a face. Makes her very pretty. Exercise is wonderful both for physical and spiritual. Someone said to me yesterday I do not know how you do all that you do..It is such hard work and so much work. Well the truth is, I do not view it as WORK. It is a spiritual journey into a healthier lifestyle for me. I wake every morning excited about farming, growing and about life...Heaven on earth...glad you are out on the bike.

    ReplyDelete