The topic covered this week was learning how to love yourself ~ how do you learn to love yourself after living with alcoholism your entire life?
I have done some deep digging and found my answer to fulfill the question...through forgiveness. You have to learn how to forgive yourself for your own mistakes made in life in order to really love who you are as a person. Holding a grudge against yourself for making a mistake ~ whether common or tragic ~ is really bad for your self-esteem at large! What a powerful message to give to yourself when you finally have permission to make mistakes.
So what, exactly, is a mistake? A bad judgement call ~ as long as you are trying your best to make the best decision at the time. We all make mistakes! It is what makes us humans, not perfect in every sense of the word.
As long as I am trying my best to do what I feel is right, relying on basic intuition, based on research, asking family and friends, networking, sleeping on it, thinking about it...or sometimes I have to make a judgement call quickly, in a heartbeat, within a split second, for the immediate safety of those around me or for myself.
How do you define a reaction to a situation as a mistake? When the judgement call was wrong or inappropriate? When it ends up all wrong, inside out and upside down? I think a mistake is made when the judgement call turned out poorly, with a negative outcome...somewhere or anytime down the line.
As it turns out, though, making mistakes is life's lessons for us to take heed and listen. To learn from a mistake and have the ability to reflect on your actions as a lesson, then you have found forgiveness for yourself. When you find yourself forgiven, it is then that you can love yourself for who you are, unconditionally.
After all, if you can't find a way to love yourself uncondtionally, how can you love those closest to you uncondtionally? Ah, the question behind the question ~ finding the answer will lead you in the right direction.
Others in the group offered thoughts of finding time for yourself, allowing yourself no guilt when taking that time, learning how to say "no" to unneccessary errands or events. Learning to love yourself absolutely includes taking time for yourself ~ no matter what. During that time it becomes necessary to find what you love and love what you find. Find the LOVE!
