Do you lift yourself up or do you put yourself down?
I often find that I am putting myself down. The things that I say to myself when looking at my reflection in the mirror (or on a Zoom call) are definitely put downs. “I am so fat” “There are new wrinkles.” “I am ugly” “My nose is too big.” “I suck.” “My eyebrows aren’t even.” “My nose is crooked.” And so on…
Do you say similar things to yourself sometimes? Things that you would never say to another person? Would you tell your friend that she looks fat? That she is ugly? That’s a big HELL NO.
When you say negative things to yourself you erode your self-esteem. How confident do you feel facing the world after cutting yourself down like that? Do you feel your best? Do you feel like Wonder Woman? Probably not.
You can be your own cheering section. You can boost your self-esteem all by yourself.
Since I am guilty of doing this, I am working on changing how I interact with myself in the mirror by doing three things. I haven’t made them habits, yet. I working on it
When I see myself in the mirror first thing in the morning, I look myself in the eyes (instead of my reflection), smile and say hello. Before leaving the mirror after putting on make-up and/or doing my hair, I give myself a big high-five. At the end of the day right before going to bed, I stand in front of the mirror and acknowledge myself for my accomplishments that day and tell myself that I love me. I like the way I feel after doing these three things and I plan to keep working on them.
You can do these things too. Pick one, two, or all three to try out. Look at YOU when you do these; not just your reflection.
Greet Yourself
The first time you look in the mirror in the morning, smile and say hello. It will get your “feel good” juices flowing, just like when you say hello to neighbor or friend. Easy, right?
High-Five
Before you wrap up your morning routine, give yourself a BIG high-five. Whenever you give someone a high-five you feel good, celebratory, which is how you will feel when you do it to yourself. Easy too.
Acknowledge Yourself
Show yourself some appreciation for what you accomplished that day. This one might be a little more challenging. Here is how it works.
Look yourself in the eyes, say out loud, “[Your Name] (to get your attention), I acknowledge you for:”
- Everything that you accomplished or achieved that day.
- Any disciplines that you kept. These could be that you got up early and exercised, that you stuck to your budget, that you only ate healthy foods, or that you are going to bed early so that you can get eight hours of sleep.
- Any temptations that you didn’t give into. Examples of these might be not eating dessert or not buying the expensive (but really cute) shoes that would blow your budget.
Lastly, still looking myself in the eyes, say “I love you.” Saying I love you to yourself in the mirror is very powerful.
Acknowledgement and appreciation are extremely motivating. 60% of employees say that being appreciated at work is more important than money. Doing this for yourself is important and powerful
My request of you is that you try these out and let me know how it goes.
This blog post is based on Success Principle #26: Acknowledge Your Positive Past.
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