January 2024 - Week 3 Awakening

“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself”.

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Can we awaken to a new path of less self-judgement? Acceptance means we appreciate and love all of ourselves. That may sound typically normal, but for many of us, we are constantly seeking the approval of others. If we are not intrinsically motivated, we may be frustrated easily, not find joy in our daily activities, and think there must be something more outside ourselves.  All of us can benefit from reevaluating how we view our daily activities, whether we are the extreme of, “I just need to get through this day” or feel a lack of pleasure in our daily activities.

Last week the action was to do something hard. If you attempted that, and even took a small step towards success, congratulate yourself. Every time we attempt action to achieve something difficult, it is a small victory. It is all you, no one else, so feel good about your own achievement. Hopefully you will continue this action.

This week try reflecting on when you were a child. What were your interests? What were you curious about? What made you feel joyful? Maybe you were discouraged from pursuing this subject or activity. Perhaps revisiting this interest may stir something inside you. What makes you feel alive?