Kinda Not Like Yourself Very Much?
Who is your favorite person? Is it you? Does that make you roll your eyes and say, “Who could ever like themselves that much? What’s the point of us liking ourselves anyway? Heck, most people probably like themselves more than they should anyway! Is it really that big of deal if you don’t like parts of yourself?”
I’m writing this to encourage the person who kinda doesn’t really like themselves very much. Boy, I’ve definitely had days when I didn’t like myself very much? Sometimes it feels like I can’t do anything right, and actually just end up messing things up more than anything. I’m thankful I don’t spend too much time in that miserable place, but I’ve visited there frequently.
I believe the more you dislike yourself, the easier it is going to be for you to dislike the world and its inhabitants surrounding you. Like I wrote in my last entry, I find it way too easy to feel miserable and frustrated with life. But when you discover your own personal awesomeness…life becomes magical.
I’m convinced people don’t think very highly of themselves for several reasons…here are a few:
Fear of appearing arrogant
Wrongly defining humility as self-dislike
Someone stupid told them they were unlovable or unworthy
They don’t understand how valuable they are - or how awesome they are capable of being.
But I wonder if even more common is the person who doesn’t take inventory about the what they actually like about themselves. This can lead to a person just wandering through life looking for others to tell him/her who he/she is, what he/she is good at, and what value they bring to the world.
How To Start Liking Yourself
1. Figure out who you are. What kind of foods do you like? Favorite movies or books? What do you like to do for fun? What are your favorite foods. Start a journal and begin to identify the things in your life that you enjoy. The worst thing you can say is: “I don’t know.” Think about things you value…what is really important to you? What are some of the core principles you are choosing to live by? Ask people close to you how they describe you.
2. Find people who will love and accept you completely. This is a tricky assignment since you have to work hard to find people you can trust, and offer them the opportunity to know you completely. I mean everything. Our posturing and posing haven’t got us anywhere. Our secrets will eventually suffocate us. You will most likely be surprised at how much people will receive your desire for authenticity with open arms.
3. Get out. Go outside and walk around. Get involved in your school, church, community. Volunteer your time. Find ways to live your life giving it away to other people. There are many people in our society who are neglected or abandoned. Nursing homes, prisons, homeless shelters—great places to start.
4. Make a plan. Set a goal, Start dreaming. What is something you could work towards in the future? The efforts you make working toward something valuable will be excellent for making deposits in your self-esteem account.
5. Spend time with God. Grow in your understanding of how deeply and unconditionally loved you are by God. (Prayer and reading the bible are awesome ways to do this.) We are all uniquely and wonderfully made. And I believe that uniqueness is so we can feel God’s most intimate fingerprint on our lives—this is where true worth and value come from. And that we are to then take that uniqueness, and use it to serve the needs of people around us. That’s when life comes alive and you will be your own favorite person!
To Sum It Up:
The best thing you can do to like yourself is discover your God-given uniqueness and use it to make life better for other people.
How we can tell other people of their incredible worth and value, if we aren’t convinced of it for ourselves?