The pursuit of contentment, fulfillment and satisfaction can be convoluted and challenging…but only as convoluted and challenging as we allow it to be.
Self-criticism comes hand-in-hand with self-limitation. We become what we tell ourselves we will be. The self-fulfilling prophecy is a very real thing.
Put simply what we believe about ourselves directly influences both our decisions and our actions. We determine our own outcomes.
It’s what we do with what we have that dictates where we will ultimately find ourselves. Negatives can become positives and positives can become negatives. The choice is ours.
Life need not be as difficult as we make it for ourselves. So much time and energy is expended sweating the small stuff…trying to control situations outside our sphere of influence…pushing for change in other people.
It’s enough to pause and take the time to get to know ourselves; to understand why we think the way we think and act the way we act. And in knowing ourselves we need to also appreciate who we are and where we are.
A good rule of thumb is reflection. If we can see that we are a better person today than we were yesterday we can be confident that we are headed in the right direction.
Not only can we be our own worst enemy but we can also be our own best friend. It’s important to strive for balance between the two extremes.
We all fuel our own mental anguish amplifying our pain and extending our suffering. But we are a complete and self-contained package. The resources for healing can be found inside ourselves. We may need some help finding and identifying those resources and turning them into strength and recovery but we can be confident they exist and that the process is possible.
Gary Bentley Counselling 