5 Simply Effective (yet Non-Invasive) Ways to Feel Better About Yourself

I've observed that over the last year a beautiful thing has taken place in the world:  people genuinely want to help other people feel better about themselves.  And, in turn, people want other people to help them feel better about themselves.  I love that we are improving our society by improving ourselves from the inside out.  

This trend has caused me to reflect on my own life and what knowledge or wisdom I have gained (mostly by trial and error) that I might effectively inspire other people to genuinely feel better about themselves by embracing their lives from the inside out without making them feel invaded.  So, I put a few ideas together and now, without further ado, I present to you:

 

1.  We are prone to uplift and compliment the doings of others, yet too often we fail to pay any attention to ourselves.  Vocalize to yourself ONE sincere compliment every single day.  Maybe you might say "Hey.  Nice eyes."  or "Good job not burning the toast." or even "You ROCKED that song in the shower."  Seriously.  Whatever you decide you did well, vocalize it.  Daily.  Your ears need to hear it.

2.  Passwords.  We all have them:  emails, Facebook, blogs, Pinterest, cell phones, PIN numbers, when people come to the door (okay, like I'm the ONLY one who teasingly asks my children for the password when they come to the door from taking the garbage out, right?), etc.  We've got a billion of them and on average, we type in a password of some sort at least twice a day, right?  So why not simply create a password that makes you think optimistically about yourself!?!  Examples:  iREAllYdorock1 or ulookAWSMtoday or yesIamAWEsome1987 or Ibelieve100inME or iwillSURVIVE2013.  PIN numbers?  Spell out a word/phrase that you have to repeat to yourself:  U-ROC (8762) or AWSM (2076) or ILVU (4588).  The possibilities are endless.  See how this could be extremely effective?  What would happen if you had to type in those phrases daily?  You. Might. Actually. Believe. It.  Right?  Hurry.  Change your passwords now.

3.  So...you ate an extra brownie.  So you didn't vacuum the floor with all the lines going in the right direction.  So you missed the basket on what could have been the final winning shot in the most inmportant game of the season.  So you accidentally sent a ridiculous text to your boss which was actually meant for your very BFF.  (Yup.  Did that one, actually. Awkward, really.)  So?  Let it go.  Don't beat yourself up about it.  That's a ridiculous thing to do.  You can opt out on dessert for the next three days.  People are just going to walk on the carpet anyway.  The past is the past.  You'll learn to double check who you're sending texts to.  Forgive yourself and move on.  Stop holding on to the burden of self-depreciating grudges.  You're doing your very best...and that means you're doing alright.  Accept that.

4.  Acknowlege the success of others is simply another person's success.  Celebrate it with them.  Do not take it as a dagger thrown towards your own life.  That's debilitating.  You will have your turn at acheivement.  And you, too, will want others to celebrate it with you.  So don't allow jealousy or pride or insecurity to get in your way of living a happy life.  It's amazing how liberating, how empowering it is when we truly give ourselves permission to unconditionally celebrate the joys in the lives of others.  (For a great read on this subject, soak in the 3rd paragraph of THIS LINK.  It's so very applicable.)

5.  I have found that I am a much stronger person if sometimes, when I begin a sentence, I say the magic words "I feel...". Too much of my life was spent suffocating emotions that I could not identify, thus resulting in a lack of communication and a lower self-esteem.  Last year, I made a conscious effort to begin at least one sentence a day with "I feel...". This allows myself to identify the true and present emotion in a conversation.  Those magic words will open a world of confidence inside a soul.  You could effectively say "I feel frustrated that..." or "I feel concerned about..." or "I feel so excited that..." or even "I feel so hangry that..."  (for the record, hangry is a word that describes being so hungry that you are angry that you're hungry...Yes, I've used it.  Many times.)  So, begin a sentence with "I feel..." and observe what happens inside.  It's a beautiful thing.

I'm anxious to hear what changes these ideas will make in YOUR life.  Which one will you begin work on today?   Plus, what else has worked for you?  Leave me a comment.  I'd love to hear any other suggestions you may have!!!