Here is a reflection or meditation that you might want to try. It sounds like the last one I posted but is very, very different in its impact. Try repeating it seven times a day or whatever works, then see what comes up!
“I accept myself as I am, and as I change.”
Some clues for unpacking the phrase:
It is a great kindness to accept ourselves as we are, and as we change. It allows us to be at ease in the moment, and to unfold in a way that is best for us, over time. To not be hooked by approval or rejection is a state of grace. Accepting ourselves is doing just this.
If we wait until we are perfect, to accept and love ourselves, we never will. We will never be at peace with ourselves.
Too often our non-acceptance is based on a very limited understanding. A mistake or two and we see our self as a bad person, unworthy. We get a little praise or success and we become prideful, entitled. Up and down, and round and round we go. Let’s keep our feet planted firmly on the ground.
Paradoxically by accepting ourselves as we are, we create a space where change, if it is needed, will be more easily accomplished.
As we judge ourselves less, we can be more spacious with others. We can avoid rushing to judgment all the time, which will help us avoid many unnecessary entanglements, and emotional upsets.
By letting go of judgements about ourselves, we can see our outer reality more clearly. This clarity gives us a better chance of understanding what is actually happening, and to come up with a skillful response rather than a harmful reaction.
In the end, may we move away from the contraction of self-judgement, towards: a mind that is characterized by openness, curiosity, ‘not knowing’, vulnerability and patience.
