Most humans are very good at talking bad about themselves (and other people, right?) It’s because our brains are programmed to look for all the negative and bad things in the world around us. Do you notice how it is very natural and easy to complain instead of being grateful? Noticing the bad in the world is almost effortless, and it is the same when it comes to noticing the bad about ourselves. If you want to love yourself you have to be stronger than the natural part of your brain. Loving ourselves comes from thinking about the good parts of ourselves, being grateful for who we are, and what our amazing selves can do. We are all blessed with talents and traits that come from our Heavenly parents. If you can learn to look for the good in you, you will start to love yourself more. And by the way, we don’t have to be perfect to love ourselves!
It’s very normal for our brains to be on the lookout for someone talking bad about us, or not liking us.
Our brains are designed for survival, and when someone rejects us in any way, we feel threatened and afraid. In order to overcome this natural part of our brains that wants to be concerned about what others think, we have to truly define ourselves and decide on our own who we are.
For example, let’s say that someone says behind my back that I have purple hair (which I totally don’t). And, even though I like purple, it’s just not my choice of hair color, so my hair is definitely not purple! When I can be 100 percent confident that my hair is NOT purple, then whatever people say about my hair being purple, doesn’t actually matter, because, I know the truth!
What are the things about you that are true? How can you define yourself so that when people state their negative opinions of you, they won’t matter, because you already have your own?