“The moment you accept yourself, you become beautiful.” Osho
When I was learning to crotchet I made some of the goofiest looking blankets. The colors didn’t go together, I made up the combinations myself, and I often didn’t count stiches making the rows uneven. I made one blanket into a circle, well more than one, and another that looked like a Christmas tree. Thing is everyone loved them. When I got better I offered to remake blankets to replace the early ones and no one took me up on my offer saying the blankets were beautiful.
Beauty is relative. It lies in acceptance in something for what it is. It is not settling; but, realizing you are doing your best. Sometimes we can be so busy looking for the next improvement effort that we miss the beauty of ourselves, others, and the moment. Let’s be clear about one thing… acceptance is not stopping. It is respecting where you are and honoring that part of your journey. You have endured a lot to get this far and that is beautiful only if you think it is though.
JOURNAL PROMPTS
1. What is one thing about yourself you admire?
2. What is the best piece of advice you have ever given to someone else?
GUIDANCE
Albert Ellis, a pioneering psychologist who wrote about a form of cognitive behavior therapy in the 1950’s, wrote about the difference between self-esteem and self-acceptance. The difference is with self-esteem you must keep completing worthwhile things to be beautiful. If smething occurs to making the achievement of esteemable things. This is difficult because if you don”t self-esteem is damaged. Self-acceptance acknowledges the fact that you are beautiful since you are. This beauty is too great to be improved upon by completing tasks or diminished by any failurez or mistakes.
JOURNAL PROMPTS
1. What do you think about self-esteem versus self-acceptance?
2. Which concept would you like to embrace and how do you plan to do so?
GUIDANCE
What is your difficulty completing this reflection suggesting you’re a believer of self-esteem or self-acceptance? Are you okay with that?
P. S. For more on CBT see my post at https://www.shyrajoneslpcblog.wordpress.com/2017/02/04/c-is-for-cognitive-behavior-therapy/