Calling Yourself Out!

While journeying to the spirit of the rose the other day, I was gently reminded that all of us are perfectly imperfect in some way. Just as roses have many different varieties and colors, so do humans. We are brainwashed by society into thinking that we must look a certain way, act a certain to fit into societal norms. Needless to say, none of us do or have to be the cookie-cutter person that society believes we should be.

Rose told me that though our bodies may carry a little extra weight, have a few scars or stretch marks, it is ok to own them. My body has literally gone through hell and back having children, putting on and taking off weight, and having a few surgeries. I casually refer to the imperfections on my body as my battle scars. Reminding me that those battle scars have made me who I am today. They aren’t placed on my body to define me by the battles I have been through but to remind me that those battles scars have taught me lessons, brought life into the world, and recovered from tragedies.

I once heard a saying that a candle loses nothing of its own light by lighting another candle so I ask you - Have you been kind to yourself? Have you only given love to others or have you embraced your own self-love as part of your journey? Or are you like me, wanting to change the type of relationship that you have with yourself?

My self-love journey has been a long and winding one, sometimes filled with regret, embarrassment, and guilt. But being the woman I am today, the person that brings out what is on the inside into my own life, the lives of the children I am raising, and those around me – that’s what true beauty is.

It’s incredibly empowering to recognize this in yourself. I sometimes have to stop and call myself out on my own bullshit. I have to own the fact that my thoughts don’t always reflect positive self-love. But only I have the power to change my thinking into something better, to empower my own self-love, and change that relationship in how I think about myself. I have to release the ideas or thoughts that I have been hanging on to or things that have been holding me back. I need to find strength from within, to dig deeper, and push harder to redefine who I believe I am and not only become her but love her. Only then can I truly grow and bloom just like the rose!