I previously wrote an article about learning to love yourself part 1. This was about learning to love yourself in mind. Being able to address your feeling and emotions and your situations. Then being able to accept them as well. To have a sense of peace. The second one I wrote was about learning to love yourself in body. We all know we have those things about our bodies that we would love to change. No matter who we are, there is something we may feel insecure about. We can physically work towards having a healthier body. However, there will still be things that we cannot change. Whether you can or not, and whether you are working towards physical goals, you can still accept and be happy in the body you currently have.
Today though goes a little bit deeper into acceptance of yourself. Today I want to talk about strengths and weaknesses. We all have the things that we are good at and the things we wish we did better. This applies both physically and mentally. The reason though that I have taken multiple articles to talk about all this. Is because learning to love yourself fully is a journey and a process. It’s not as simple as a few words or articles. It takes hard work and a lot of time and reflection.
Weaknesses
This is one of the hardest things to accept. A weakness is something we see as proof that we are not good enough. Most of the time, we avoid these kinds of things so that we don’t show that weakness or feel inept. However, we all have weaknesses, and it isn’t something to be ashamed of, or to avoid. Most of the time we easily can accept the weaknesses of those around us that we love. However, when it comes to us, we have no such acceptance.
Strengths
This one definitely doesn’t seem as hard. It’s not hard to love your strengths, right? So often we criticize ourselves even for what we are good at. Either we aren’t good enough, or we want different strengths. There is nothing wrong with trying to better yourself even in your strengths. However, if you are trying to do so while berating yourself for not being at some higher level of strength, it becomes an unhealthy venture. I think there is many of us out there that still wish we had different strengths. We compare ourselves to others who, we feel, have more valuable talents. It’s important to know your own worth. Know that you have your strengths for a reason, and it’s part of what make you… well, you! If you feel that your talents aren’t what you want, do a little exercise for me. Try to find 5 benefits to yourself and others that come from each of your talents.
What is Happiness, Without Sadness?
All your emotions and feelings, all things good and bad, all go hand in hand. If you never know the good things, how do you know what’s bad, and vice versa? It’s important to understand the balance between our strengths and our weaknesses. They go hand in hand as much as our feelings do. They create a balance within us as people. They work together to help create and define us. What I’m saying is, that it is important for us to have both, and accept both.
Weakness is an Opportunity
When I talk about accepting our weaknesses that doesn’t mean it’s an excuse to avoid becoming better. It’s important for our mental and physical health to continue to work towards improvement. Not in comparison to others but in comparison to ourselves. So that we can look back and see how far we have come. So, we can see our weakness as an opportunity to improve. Instead of avoiding it, look at how to turn that weakness into another strength. When people discuss health and fitness, it’s important to understand that it is not an achievement you attain and it’s over. It is a constant goal, that you can continue to improve more and more.
It is Not a Chore
I think another important thing to note is that this isn’t supposed to be an exhausting task. On the contrary, working towards bettering ourselves should be something that gives us peace and we works towards naturally. If we stumble or make mistakes, we don’t belittle ourselves or get discouraged. When a baby is learning to walk, the baby will fall over and over again. As adults, we cheer them on and encourage them to try again. We clap and congratulate them for making the first step, even if they fall. It should be the same in ourselves. Be happy and feel peace that even the smallest bit of attempt has been made. Find the peace and love for yourself.
Mel's Health and Fitness 