We are all a bit quirky. Yes, every one of us. So what’s wrong with that? The truth is that many of us see these beautiful, amazing unique qualities as flaws, and we just don’t fit the jigsaw puzzle of society. Let’s face it, we all tend to zoom in and focus on our imperfections, often obsessing about them. Admit it; you know this crushing, painful circle of self-loathing and self-doubt. But take notes: you don’t have to keep feeling this way anymore! You are a beautiful, unique and one of a kind human. And that’s how I like it – you should too.
Let’s head back to that MBB magic numero five. Yes, 5. Take a gander at the following five ways to start loving your excellent, one of a kind, fantastic self and start living happy and content and joyfully in your skin. (Which btw, is gorgeous just like you.)
- Be authentic. We are all flawed in different ways- get over it and stop being who others think you should be. Start practicing being yourself. Let go of all those manipulative thoughts that are floating around your pretty little head. You didn’t put them there, so put up the eviction notice. No more masks and hiding your real personality from the world. My friend Judy Jetson (not her real name) says – “You’re so lovely as you are. I love you and all your weirdness.” Real peeps, the ones who matter in the long run are drawn to authenticity. The others – well, you probably don’t want to keep them around anyway – no plastics. STAY TRUE TO YOU!
- Find your inner strength. (For a quick refresher, see my last post.) Stop looking for love in all the wrong places; food, clothing, shoes, other people’s opinions, etc. Don’t keep numbing yourself with all these distractions. Look inside your heart to know that you are lovely and capable and intrinsically good enough for anything and everything. Happy people are those who can accept stress and figure out how to move beyond. Don’t avoid it, but don’t let it consume you.
- Be creative. STOP RIGHT THERE! – I don’t want to hear that you’re tone deaf, can’t draw a straight line with a ruler or uncoordinated. Dance, sing (even in the kitchen or the car), doodle, play with Lego or grab that box of Crayolas. Do whatever you can that feels creative and right to your soul. That’s the way to start your journey towards self-love and self-care. I listened to a short video on LinkedIn today by someone who voiced just this realization; He says it’s all about finding and having a passion for keeping yourself centered and filled with self-care and love. Let your ideas and emotions exist and exist without judgment.
- No shame. You are worthy. You are worthy – try this mantra. Learn to love and embrace your imperfect reflection. You’ll find that you start feeling self-assured, confident and powerful, sort of like when I’m rocking my Doc Martens. No self-shaming allowed. You need to develop some shame resilience, which is your own construct of finding positive ways to grow from negative experiences. It’s like the everything happens for a reason ideal. Try it – you’ll get through the tough times feeling stronger, more self-assured and knowing that YOU ARE ENOUGH.
- Don’t talk to you that way. Enough. We all have negative self-talk, and it’s time to stop. Don’t talk to yourself in any way that you wouldn’t speak to others. Think about if it would be acceptable, in any circumstance, to say these horrible things to another. Now STOP saying it to yourself. No more harassment from your personal peanut gallery. Love yourself and all your flaws. You are pretty fricking awesome. I know it. The only thing standing in the way of your happiness is YOU. The answers to being happy, successful and self-loving are within yourself. So go on, give yourself a big hug and embrace your quirky, weird and otherwise wonderful self.
Stay motivated and caffeinated!