So many people struggle with the feeling that they´re just not good enough …
I don´t deserve to take care of myself
…so I´ll run around taking care of everyone else, skimp on sleep, eat poorly and forfeit anything that´s good for me…
I don´t deserve to have fun
…so I won´t allow myself to take a break until everything on my mile-long to-do list has been done, the house is clean and everyone else´s needs have been met…
I don´t deserve to have someone take care of me
…so when my husband offered to empty the dishwasher I said I´d do it later, and when my daughter wanted treat me to lunch I insisted on paying for my own – and hers as well…
There´s a pattern in these thoughts; can you see it?
When we feel bad about ourselves, we automatically place ourselves smack dab in the center of attention.
Whether you do it consciously or not, by thinking I don´t deserve something you are actually putting all the focus on the word “I”.
Though you may feel humble by believing you don´t deserve something, thinking that way is actually self-centered.
Often the feelings that you´re not good enough stem from a need to base your self-worth on how you perform. In other words, you only feel worthy of love and reward when you´ve done something really well.
The problem is, it´s extremely difficult to do anything well enough that we feel worthy over a long period of time.
It´s believing the lie that we are what we do, or who others say we are that´s really at the root of the problem.
To make matters worse, we strengthen that lie by thinking it…by speaking it…by dwelling on it
And the more we do, the more negatively it affects our self-image.
I don´t deserve…
A lie that makes us blind to the good in our lives while hardening our hearts to the beauty and wonder all around us.
But there is a simple solution…
Retrain your thoughts. Open them – and your heart – to living a life of gratitude.
Gratitude and appreciation are life-giving thoughts and words that release love.
Gratitude moves us beyond ourselves; past the fear, the feeling of lack, and the belief that we´re not deserving.
So, next time you find yourself feeling like you don´t deserve something, recognize it for the lie it is, and consciously choose an attitude of gratitude instead.
Pull out your journal and write “I´m grateful for…” at the top of a fresh page, and then make a list of all the things – big and small – you have to be thankful for in your life.
Take the focus off of you and place it on being grateful. You´ll feel a positive mental and physical shift when you do, and it´s a terrific way of beginning and/or ending each and every day.