Monday, 10 November 2014

THREE: Be Good To Yourself

Restricting my food doesn’t make me a better person, being kind to myself and to others makes me a better person.

I often think of statements that make me believe that if I could only cut down on what and how much food I put in my body, then I would be a better person.  I believe I am fat because I have no will power. That I have no control in my life because I can’t control the amount of pastries I consume in a week. After all, I can’t be a good person if I have no will power and no control.  The theory sounds completely reasonable to me in my head.  I even believe it reading it here. But I know I shouldn’t fall for my trap. 

Food has nothing to do with my generous nature--- or is it really tied to the generous helping of pasta on my plate?  If I stopped overeating, would I stop overdoing the positive things in my life (work, volunteering, etc).  Logic tells me ‘Of course not!’.

I’ve got the “being kind to …others” part well rehearsed.  I have learned to be patient with everyone, including my teenage students!  I know that I remind myself to be gracious to people that ‘irritate me’ so that I take the time to better understand their point of view… and usually feel less irritated as a result.  Getting closer to my 5th decade definitely has its benefits when looking back for examples of kindness to others!

But being kind to myself?  At this point in the journey, I can’t see myself ever believing that I could. 

#bekind  #bepatient  #behealthy


Be good to yourself when, nobody else will
Oh be good to yourself
         --- Journey  “Be Good To Yourself”


When is the last time you were ‘good to yourself’? What did you do :)

3 comments:

  1. Having breakfast with a friend and enjoying creative ideas. Celebrating all that is positive (and omitting the home fries).I recently saw an amazing video on youtube:
    Kamlesh Patel is a 31 year old Indian dancer who has no use of his legs. I think, wow. I can't dance and I have two legs that work! It's inspiring. We set our own limitations.

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  2. Just had to take a look at Kamlesh's work. Amazing! Love how he is able to suggest a variety of dance styles in the same piece.

    Overcoming Challenges: Kamlesh Patel at TEDxBITSGoa
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydob4PODmJs

    It is true what you say about limitations. If I could take back some of the "I can't"s that I have believed over the years... And some of the "I can't" limited others, not just myself!

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  3. UPDATE: October 16, 2018 I have been kinder to myself. I have brought myself to the brink, fell off, climbed back up --and the end result is a new hope for future growth.

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