As I travel through this life, I am endlessly creating myself. 

I was told some time ago that people have a tendency to criticize more often than we give compliments (10 criticisms to 1 compliment, if I remember correctly) and that I had a tendency to skimp on much-needed compliments.

We don’t do this out of any malicious intent but simply because this is our learned behaviour. We seem to work from the perspective of merits earned rather than love and compassion.

When I sat with this and really thought about what I was putting out – I realized this was true for me. I had to question how often was I unintentionally taking away rather than giving love. Not my shining moment but at least I could change it for the better.

Recently, I started to question my self-care routine – what could I do better, more of etc. Being grateful once a day, or a perfunctory approval of myself in the mirror does not equal true self-love.

We can all do with less of the constant criticisms and more of telling ourselves all the wonderful things we love about ourselves. A pat on the back for something well done, appreciation for the body we live in, the time we gave to a friend in need…the list goes on. It doesn’t hurt and who wouldn’t want to feel really good on a daily basis? Don’t we go out of our way to give our friends compliments, do little things that lift them up? So why not prioritize ourselves with that same loyalty.

It’s time to elevate our game – self-approval throughout the day may just be the happy pill we need – lift ourselves up first before we can do for others.

If you need some help, you’ve probably seen this little girl already, but now you may want to change your perspective and see it as a lesson to take away instead of ‘awww, isn’t she cute’.

You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you. James Allen