Some reflections I had whilst writing the post, “Why Not From Beautiful, to Still Beautiful?”. I’m not here to dispense advice, because god knows I’m struggling to get my own life in order! But I just wanted to scribble these thoughts down as guideposts, for those bad days when I lose my way.
Now comes in a beautiful e-book filled with uplifting messages, quotes and illustrations!
Table of Contents
1. There is No Need to Prove Anything to Anyone
Not even to yourself. It only leads to a more confused you, and hinders rather than promotes growth. What you must do is to focus on making the best out of the present moment. If you can learn to appreciate whatever it is that you’re doing, the results will be a consequence of that action. There is no need to worry.
“And now you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” – John Steinbeck
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2. You Are Worth Your Existence Just as You Are
No matter your state of health or wealth. No one has any right to tell you that you’re less of a human being than they are; we are all made of the same stuff, share this planet as home, and will return to dust together.
3. You Are Just as Human as Anyone Else
Having said that, neither should you ever believe that you are more of a human being than anyone else, based solely on your material possessions, or standing in our volatile society. These are the sort of achievements that can go up in smoke overnight. If it comes to that, what are you, then?
4. Abandon the Heavy Baggage of Ego
Abandon the cruel expectations from the slave drivers, Should and Should Not. They will always be there as gatekeepers of our morals, but they also have huge egos. Sometimes they overstep their boundaries, and cause more harm than good. Do not let them manipulate you, and sap you of your humanity. Travel light to reach the expanse of knowledge, and leave lots of room to acquire the jewels of joy you will find along the way.
5. Focus on Building a Strong Core of Being
One that external forces and petty opinions have no dominion over. Of course it will chip and crumble at times, but because of who you are, you have the infinite ability to rebuild. So keep moving forward, to the perfect rhythm that your body sets. Follow its pace, or you will not go far. You are bound to get blisters along the way, some of us more than others. They will cause permanent scars. These scars are gems of wisdom in the flesh, and wisdom is sacred. It has the power to make or break worlds, and you have earned the right to hold some of this fire. But be careful, for this fire will burn you alive if you think you are its master, and try to force it upon someone else.
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6. Befriend Yourself, You Will be Pleasantly Surprised
There will be many surprises when you start getting to know yourself better. You will be impressed with your abilities and unlock hidden potential. Heck, you might even start to like yourself, and all the traits that you thought you wanted nothing to do with!
7. Break Down That Wall Around Your Heart
I still have no answer to the question, ‘who am I?’, except that I am human. We are unyielding, vulnerable and changeable all at once. I suppose we’ll have to live out our lives to find out the answer. To keep listening and tuning that musical resonance deep within our beings. It might take a bit of work breaking down the icy fortresses we’ve built around our hearts, in a foolish attempt to protect that which needs no protecting.
“Character is what you know you are, not what others think you have.” – Marva Collins
*Note: This post is based on the author’s personal experiences. Nothing in this article should be taken as medical advice. Always be sure to check with your doctor before you start on any new treatment or protocol, whatever that may be.
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Thank you for these important reminders. I especially love the one that we are worthy exactly as we are. Other people can so often make us feel inferior due to our limited ability to work and socialise but one of the positive things about having a chronic illness for me is slowly realising and accepting that materialistic things like a job and income doesn’t define my value and my worth isn’t found in those things.
You are so right. I think being chronically ill has made me face my inner fears and demons deep inside, because there’s nowhere else to run. Chronic pain slows time down too, and you’re just forced to just lie there and confront everything close up. It’s harrowing, traumatic, but also shows you your resilience. And with acceptance comes strength 🙂
It’s definately important to learn to connect with yourself and deal with the emotional components when you’re chronically ill. I found when I first got lyme that the symptoms were so intense I needed a way to cope, and also realized part of these deep emotions had contributed.
As horrible as the symptoms were and how I could barely function, the last nearly 3 years have been the biggest period of growth for me. I reconnected with my Inner Child, become alot more comfortable socially, found other things to enjoy other than just the gym such as laughter club and improv. And realized it was important to be social and connect with people which I didn’t do much before, but in my recovery due to the inner growth I started to enjoy socializing again.
I like the idea of building a strong core of being. Somehow during this when it was really bad I found something deep inside myself that just kept me going and that I just had to heal. It’s still a work in progress but i’ve come really far.
Hi Ben apologies for the super late reply! Thank you for reading the post and yes, chronic illness and pain really ruffles all sorts of feathers. I am glad that you seem to be moving in the right direction and doing so for your own wellbeing. Wishing you all the best. We are all works in progress 🙂
Ah, Sheryl, what a lovely post – warm, thoughtful, and comforting. All so inspiring and all such good reminders to us all, especially on the bad days.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Sue
Book By Book
Such an excellent read. Thank you so much for sharing. I honestly found this so inspirational. I get so caught up in my bad days that it can drive me mad. Today I realised that I haven’t felt anywhere close to suicidal in months and it’s because I’m somehow able to hold myself during and grief or stress that comes my way. Long may it continue but it sure beats feeling so awful all the time.
Thank you, Nyxie! I’m glad you found a bit of inspiration in this post as that was my aim 🙂 I am glad you haven’t felt suicidal in months, that really is an achievement. And on the down days, know that it’s okay, too. Just hang in there xxx
I loved this post (and the graphics) so much. All the shares. Saved as a reminder for each week. Love love love that Steinbeck quote too. Thanks so much for all that you do, Sheryl. Sending you the biggest, softest hugs. Always with you!
Thank you Carrie, you’re always so supportive! Sending much love back at you, and thank you so much for helping me to share the post and graphics, I really appreciate it much! xxx
“There is No Need to Prove Anything to Anyone… no even to yourself” .. with a certain increase in life pressures lately – I’ve realise how important it is I do this. It’s been a timely reminder 🙂
Same here…whatever you’re going through, I wish you the very best! 🙂
Really enjoyed all these reminders – especially letting go of our ego. I know I am guilty for trying to be ‘perfect’ when that’s really unnecessary and harmful even.
Yes I think our ego is of course, there for a reason and can be useful. But it’s a really fine line! Life is about balance after all, I guess!
Chronic illness and, lately, my isolation due to this downturn has led to a lot of self-reflection… I am introspective anyway so prone to it. And I find I have grown in many of these ways. I wonder if it is age? That I have settled into a level of comfort with myself I couldn’t accept before?
I hear you. To be honest, my life hasn’t changed all that much at all since the self-isolation…it’s kind of what my life is like with chronic illness anyway. I do miss going out to work at cafés every now and then though, it helps me to be more productive, and a change of environment always helps. But regardless, I’ve also reached a level of acceptance of being alone or lonely, both.
I liked befriend yourself, it is something we are guilty of forgetting.
Thanks Ellen! Yes it’s my favourite one, too. So easy to forget, difficult to maintain and do. Hopefully we learn over time! x
Loved your post. Sometimes we beat ourselves up so much and really we should be better to ourselves. Thanks for saying this that we should befriend ourselves because we are good people.
Thanks so much Kathy. Yes agreed, I think we are better deep down inside than we know ourselves to be. Sending you good thoughts! x
If there is one thing parents need to teach kids from an early age, it is be at peace with who you are. We are all enough as we are.
Totally agreed! Self acceptance is important and is probably the most important life skill.
Break down that wall around your heart. That really resonated with me.
Great reminders. Thank you for an encouraging post!
Very inspiring and positive – looking forward to following the rest of your journey!
These are very deep and wise advice to remind us about those bad days about the end of our lives. Like when I read “There is No Need to Prove Anything to Anyone”, I thought: “Wow that is deep”. But maybe because I have trouble with trying to prove everything to everyone to make everything right
I needed these today. Pinned 5 quotes. You’re words speak such important truths. Thank you for the insight into dealing with these hard moments with chronic illness.
Wow thanks so much for that, Katie, I appreciate it! I know it is a hard day for you, so I truly hope this post helps. Sending you gentle hugs and love.
I learned that it’s all really about perspective. No matter how sad life is, you can paint a beautiful picture.
Some people look outward, in order to feel better. While it works, the result does not last very long. When you are able to seek inner peace, you become more powerful.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Crickette. Yes it really is all about how you write your own life story, isn’t it? 🙂 Though that can be really hard when your cards in life are tough.
These are all such great reminders! Each of us is an important part of society and are enough!
“There is No Need to Prove Anything to Anyone” – I love that. I used to care what others think and say. Luckily, I outgrew it. I’m much happier now.
That’s great, Jon! I am really happy for you! 😀
These are such lovely reminders to keep in mind to changing your mindset and habits!
This is exactly what I needed to hear today. Thank you so much for sharing it. Often, I forgot, I am Just as Human as Anyone Else
These tips are awesome. I am going to start by befriending myself and getting to know me more.
Love these tips. Very important. Especially number 6, befriend yourself, it’s the key to happiness. Thanks for sharing.
These are such great tips, you truly don’t have to prove anything to anyone!!
These are such magical reminders – thank you! I really quite like this one “Befriend Yourself, You Will be Pleasantly Surprised”. Really lovely.
I really like this: You Are Worth Your Existence Just as You Are. I used to have a note taped to my computer screen that read: You are perfect the way you are.
I had a really crummy weekend so these are really helpful for me to move on from it. Thanks so much for sharing this with all of us!
Our self-identity is fluid and I always remind myself of that. I am what I let myself be. And I can be more than I think. And accept who I am… because I am the only me around.
“Breakdown that walk around your heart.” That’s my favorite! Such a great piece of advice to follow.
Thanks Tamara 🙂 Sending good thoughts your way! x
thanks for sharing. i just had to repin your post on pinterest. hav ea great day.
Thanks so much for spreading the love, much appreciated! x
It’s so true how we forget that we’re human and how others can too. It’s such a basic yet necessary reminder. Thank you 🙂
your points are inspiring. Great set of advice!
Thanks for dropping by and reading, Arv! Much appreciated!
Such an encouraging post! It made me chuckle when you said “god knows I’m struggling to get my own life in order” because I feel the same, an uphill battle… You’ve given some wonderful suggestions and made great points, and I agree that befriending yourself can be very surprising. Who knows, maybe if we learned to like ourselves more we could take on the world! 🙂
Hi Caz, haha yea…I just felt a little embarrassed to be seen as giving advice, when I fail on so many of these fronts again and again…so they’re really just reminders to self 😉 And yes! I also think this comes with age, where you learn to accept yourself a little more and to actually be comfortable in your own skin 🙂
You are an inspiration, and the things you share help me understand my patients better, but also are inspiring to me personally. You are brave and strong and have hope even within the dismal days. I loved what you said in another post that just because one day feels futile and wasted, that doesn’t mean life is wasted. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.
Hi Ashley, thank you so much for your own inspiring words 😉 I’m not even sure anybody reads these posts or if they’re helpful, so any constructive feedback is greatly appreciated 🙂 And yes, that is exactly my aim. I don’t just want to reach out to others who are ill, but also to the average person out there. I feel that that is the best way to connect, when we realise that we’re all the same at the end of it all.
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, and thank you for being a practitioner who truly cares about your patients. We need you around!