The Power of Self Reflection

Who’s the person you love and respect MOST in the world? Is it your life partner? Your mother? Your child? Your best friend?  It could be your mentor or your sibling...

My big “A-Ha!” this week is that my answer needs to be, “Me. I love and respect ME the most.”

Now, I’ve known that forever - in my head - but in all honesty I have to admit that it hasn’t always been obvious to my heart. I’m finding that the long-standing habit of a lifetime isn’t easy to shake. But shake it, I must.

The last few years – in particular this one – have been incredible periods of self-examination and growth for me. As I learn to recognize the red flags that tell me when I’m compromising my standards, slackening the borders of my boundaries and doubting the very essence of myself, I’m able to acknowledge some important concepts. I see that if I want to get anywhere with my relationships, my business, my dreams and my life, the most important thing I can do for myself is to believe in and respect ME. Absolutely and entirely.

Like most people, really learning to accept myself and have confidence in my talents, abilities and the deep “ME-ness” that is unique to me and me alone…well, it’s just not easy. It’s taking some time.

Here’s a bit of what I’m learning to do along the way: 

• Remember that people I admire are actually mirroring back to me what I recognize as potential within myself.
• Turn confidence into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
• Dare; fail; learn; grow; then repeat the cycle.
• Accept that some things that aren’t “perfect” about me are “perfectly me”.
• Let go of regret and fear – walk right past them.
• Stand for myself – and therefore everyone else.

And I have a new mantra, made famous by an unusual individual of unique and exceptional charm:

“I am what I am, and that’s all that I am.” ~ Popeye

Comments

[Franni Ferrero]

Walking the talk that goes on in your head is always difficult, but you're well on the way! This is a posting many of us need to read and think about! Thanks for sharing your very personal thoughts!

[Dawn Goldberg]

I'd worry about that whole "dare, fail, learn, grow, repeat."

It's that "fail" part - what if that was taken out of our language completely? We could just say "dare, succeed/learn, grow - repeat." Because with daring, you could succeed (yea!), or you could not-so-succeed and learn from it. :-)

[Margot]

Franni,
I always feel that you so *get* what I say. Thanks for your incredible perceptiveness and understanding.
Hugs, Margot

Dawn,
I can see that the word "fail" may have given the wrong impression here. Thanks for pointing that out to me. :c) The intention was more to express that although things may not work out the way I originally anticipated everytime, each circumstance that does not do so is really an opportunity to learn and to grow - leading to ever more daring and further growth (success - to me - in it's most pure form). So although I may not have expressed myself as well as possible, I believe we're on the same page. I appreciate your input and your strong "languaging" skills.
Warmly, Margot

[JoAnne]

Thank you, Margot, for expressing the lesson that I'm getting right now, in my life!

I've read the words before, heard them spoken out loud, yet I didn't quite get the lesson - until I opened my heart!

As "they" say: "When the student is ready, the teacher will come!"