YOU ARE WORTHY OF LOVE
Being kind to yourself involves accepting who you really are. It also involves rejecting who you are not. Here’s a big one to reject: feeling like you have to be perfect.
We know we are not perfect, and life cannot be perfect, but when we fall short of someone’s standard, or our own standards, it makes us aware of our imperfections all the more. We wonder: “If I do things as close to perfect as possible, will I be able to avoid feeling worthless? Useless? Like a failure?”
We’ve all heard “nobody’s perfect” and “life isn’t perfect,” and yet, we are presented with models and ideals of how we should be every day. And when we don’t reach those heights, it only magnifies our imperfections. We start to believe we are nothing but a sum of our imperfections, and the low points in our lives seem to affirm this as truth. And when other people reject us for not being “enough” for them, in some way, we believe the lie that we are not enough altogether. When we feel like we are not pretty, and someone else does not acknowledge our appearance in a positive way, we might feel ugly. When we do not feel as successful as our peers and others seem to be soaring past us, we might feel like failures. When we feel like we are a burden because of our pain and no one offers to help, we might feel that maybe we really are a burden.
You might not be able to do everything perfectly or to be perfectly content with yourself all the time, but this should never result in rejecting yourself. You might still be learning to believe the truth about your worth, but believing the lies does not need to be the substitute. Whatever you feel like you are lacking does not take away from your true value.
Remember:
A lack of perfection should never result in rejecting yourself.
A lack of success should never result in seeing yourself as a failure.
A lack of a loving relationship should never make you feel you are not worthy of love.
A lack of fulfillment in one area of life should never make you feel you are not whole.
You are more than what you are lacking. You are worthy of being accepted by others. You are worthy of accepting yourself no matter your imperfections. Keep paying attention to what is good, beautiful, and what is authentic about you. It doesn’t have to be perfect in order to be worthy of acknowledgement and celebration. Your body is worthy of gentleness even when you do not feel satisfied with the skin you are in. Your heart is worthy of love even when you have been rejected by the one you’ve loved. Your hard work matters even in the middle of the project. Your uniqueness is worth accepting even when you don’t quite fit into the “in-crowd.” You are worthy of experiencing a life of love, peace, and joy, right here in your in-betweens.
Be kind to yourself,
right here where you are,
for you are more than your failures,
your losses, your scars.
You are worthy of love and kindness
no matter the times you have been rejected.
You are beautiful and whole,
and worthy of being accepted.
(This post here is an excerpt from the Storyteller App series called "Know Your Worth", available to download for iOS and Android! Free Daily Encouragement Notifications (no subscription required) plus premium features: Longer reads, device wallpapers, journal prompts, affirmations and more included. Free trial - no credit card required.)
Word of the day: Accepted “believed or recognized to be valid” (Oxford)
Affirmation: “I am saying ‘goodbye’ to perfection. I am loved, right here, as I am.”
Journal: Finish this sentence. “I am saying goodbye to _________”
Sincerely,
Morgan
@thestorytellerco
@morganharpernichols
