Do You Even Like Yourself?
3 minute read
How would you describe yourself?
Yesterday I was out for a stroll with my best friend, and she informed me that she had asked her 8-year-old daughter how she would describe her.
Instantly my mind was thinking, are you a glutton for punishment?
As I recall, my 8-year-old had just told me I was ruining her life because I wouldn't let her stay up as late as her older sisters. This prompted my middle daughter to tell her younger sister she gets to do way more than they ever did. The stereotypical, you think life's not fair, I'll show you not fair conversation.
My friend told me her daughter described her as a runner who loves to listen to music, dance, and is kind.
I don't want to say we were shocked because she is all those things and so many more, but in the trenches of motherhood, it's hard to see that your kids might actually see you for more than an alarm clock and a nagging reminder.
And in the trenches of life, it's often hard to see yourself positively, especially when the negative things have been so repetitive in your story.
Do I even like myself?
This conversation really challenged me, especially after digging into the monthly challenge inside the Nourished Planner: How To Like Yourself.
I wondered, do I even like myself? And how does my description of myself compare to how others would describe me?
If I'm honest, I spend way more time remembering the few moments someone called me something negative. Like when the boy in 3rd grade called me thunder thighs or a lady asked if I was pregnant when I wasn't. I also tend to remember all the e-mails I get back telling me how terrible my writing skills are. I talk too fast on the podcast, and how I don't have the credentials to share the information I do.
I remember the few comments hurled my way from people I don't even know and people who don't know me, and I allow these to run (and ruin) my life. When really, what I need and what you need is to stand confident in what those people who love and know you say about you.
And most importantly, what God says about you.
I know it's easy to fixate on the negative, and certainly, we all have a weakness. But staying there doesn't move you forward. It just keeps you stuck in a place you hate. Instead, what if today and this week you shifted that story and saw in yourself what other people saw in you? You started to call yourself what God called you, and you lived out of that.
So much would change!
If you don't know how others would describe you, text your best friend and ask them. If you're brave, ask your kids. And when they tell you, you have to actually believe it!
If you're struggling to like yourself, check out this podcast!
Here's what I know about you...
I know...
You are beautiful, created by the handiwork of God, who makes no mistakes. You are brave because you are living even though you've been through some things. You are stronger than you give yourself credit for, and you deeply care about yourself and even more about others. I know you are sometimes scared. I know you worry about what you're not, but I see you for what you are. You have a light about you this world needs. The world has tried to darken that light. Let this be your reminder to let yourself shine. Even if and even though, let your light shine! You were made for greater things.
xx,
