Protecting the Unspoken Disdain

I started my challenge today.  For those of you who don't know what I am talking about, I am committed to telling my reflection 10 compliments a day for one week.  Strangely enough, this task took me less than 15 seconds, yet it is one that I have been dreading.  What is this desire to not look yourself in the eye and say nice things?  Maybe it is the fact that everyone has a self-destructive tendency deep down inside, or most likely it is because it is new and uncomfortable.  But regardless, whatever it was got very quiet when I started speaking to myself.  And that was not all that happened.  As I started to speak my encouragements, goosebumps ran up and down my arms.  My body craved it and soaked up the words like a dry sponge.  The funny thing is, once I started, I didn't want to stop.  The reaction my physical body had was amazing to me.  Maybe this won't happen to you, but it definitely affected me in ways I wasn't expecting. 

When I was starting our business with my husband, our business coaches addressed self-esteem and how important having a positive self-worth is.  My first thought was literally, "I bet I can succeed without improving my self-worth."  How ridiculous is that!  Negative self-worth is not a prize!  Why was I fighting so hard to maintain my bad impression of myself?  To this day I have no idea.  But if it is a learned mentality, I need to do everything in my power to ensure this is not learned among my children, future and present.

But one thing this showed me is that we have just as much of a responsibility to build up others as we do ourselves.  You think of a child and how much they crave attention and affirmation.  No compliment is ever enough.  When did that change? When did craving affirmation become a bad thing?  It's not.  You need it.  You only succeed when you believe you can.  There may be times when you surpass your belief but that will only be fleeting.  It is  law.  Production cannot and will not withstand a degree higher than your belief.

Back to my point.  There are people everywhere.  At the mall, at the salon, at work, on vacation.  Everywhere.  And those people need affirmation and crave it the way I did.  People all over that hear the same negativity that you do, maybe more.  There is no way to be positive about yourself if all you hear is negative.  A time will come when even the most positive outlook will be drowned by negativity if that is the only input.  

Before I started getting coaching and mentorship, I didn't know the depth and importance of believing in yourself.  I know it seems rudimentary, but I know there are more like me neglecting the sponge in them.  So like usual I will ask a favor.  The next time you go out and about, compliment someone.  Notice their style or sweet smile.  Spread positivity, because someone out there may need it.

 Day 14- "And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Ephesians 4:23-24