An Independent Sense of Self

Day 134

Affirmation:

I do not allow the opinions of others to build up or diminish my sense of self.

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If you’ve ever found yourself feeling you are ‘less than’ (attractive, intelligent, capable, a good parent, reliable, etc…) because of something someone said or did, then you were relying on the external world to provide you with your self-worth.  It is only when we build our sense of self around the views of others that we can think less of ourselves based on their input.  Does harsh criticism leave you feeling small or bad about yourself?  Or does it inspire you to take stock of your behaviour without affecting your sense of self?  Do you take comments personally and feel diminished by them?   Or do you consider their validity while remaining impersonal about them?  Do compliments make you feel better about yourself as a person?  Or do you accept compliments as verbal gifts that have no impact on your sense of self?    Anytime we base our sense of self on the opinions of others, we become dependent upon that outward, external feedback to feel good about ourselves.  When it stops flowing or is negative, our sense of self comes toppling down.  But when we discover our self-worth separate from others, independent of anything outside of ourselves, we create a stable sense of self, one that is authentic and true.