Learning to love yourself creates a joyful world, one person at a time.
Stigmas and labels can cause fear. Our society tends to label people and situations as right or wrong, good or bad. As a matter of fact, we’re prelabeled before we’re born. Our gender, name, parental and societal expectations, and so on are placed upon us.
Rekindle your spark.
We’re generally told and shown by example how to behave, dress, and think in our formative years and beyond. If our instincts don’t align with our influencers, we could feel we aren’t “right” or “sufficient.” If our uniqueness isn’t valued and supported, our spark, our unique glow, can begin to fade.
The true secret to leading a happy and prosperous life is – As soon as you’re able, forget what society tells you and listen to your heart- spark your own flame. The truth is that you’re powerful, unique, and distinctive.
What’s intriguing about being unique? There’s only one of you. If we take the example of a new business launching a product, what is the business owners’ main goal for a product? Creating a unique selling point. The creation must be distinct from the general market, which customers need. Right?
The same is true with human beings. The power of being different in a world of people trying to fit in is that your talents can shine bright, and you’ll flourish. So, it’s appealing to love, accept and understand yourself.
Generally, we’re rewarded with approval as children to fit in when we wear the right thing, say the right thing, and behave the right way. Our guardians (and as guardians) offer external validation as a token of approval. This is generational and inbred behavior. It can be hard to spot and even harder to correct. This need for outside validation has created a society desperate for approval and longing to “fit in.”
Be the hero in your own story.
You don’t need to play the role others have written for you. Don’t be a character in someone else’s story. Instead, be the star of your own life story. You get to decide your role in the world. You get to choose how you show up, and that’s empowering.
Why do we try to fit in?
Every human being desires to belong. We’re pack animals. The simple truth is that we want to be accepted in the herd. When we’re growing up, if we’re not shown how to self-soothe and validate, we might try to squeeze, morph and hide our true selves to be accepted by our peers.
As we move through the world, our masks might start to pinch, tug and get uncomfortable. But, in my humble opinion (after safety, food, and shelter), the kindest thing we can do as a society is to teach our kids to love themselves fully. To be true to their inner voice and embrace their uniqueness.
Otherwise, as adults, they’ll spend much time either trying to shed the alternate ego they’ve created or continuing to seek shelter behind the mask they curated as children. That’s why it is essential to teach our youth to love themselves.
We can show them by example by trusting and loving ourselves. We can do it subtly by watching shows emphasizing independent thinkers and reading books encouraging love, friendship, and self-validation, such as The Fabulous Three books series by Julie Heaton. This series encourages kindness, respect, and understanding in each storyline.
The truth is that being authentic is magnetic.
People can sense if someone is genuine. The best practice is to embrace your distinctiveness and honor your instincts. If you can do this, the right folks will be drawn to you, and you’ll more readily be drawn to them. Instead of trying to change yourself to fit in, stand tall and strong in who you are. Be the magnet.
Bottom Line!
Instead of seeking joy outside yourself, the work embraces who you are. As a result, your life will naturally become more joyful and content.
Learning to love yourself unconditionally is a journey worth taking. You’re here on this planet to do something only you’re uniquely qualified to do. Your skill set is unique and magical, just like the little bee in The Adventures of the Fabulous Three and the Magic of Little Bee.
No matter the struggles, she believes in herself, and the world benefits every day because she owns her unique talent to pollinate despite the opposition. The overall message is to stay true to yourself. Fitting in comes at too great a cost. Instead, let’s encourage love and embrace who we are. That’s how we change the world. One person at a time, beginning with ourselves.
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