When was the last time you said or thought something nice about yourself? If it has been some time, then it is time to praise yourself. We have this idea that we are not supposed to praise ourselves. If we do, then we risk becoming arrogant or full of ourselves. Our culture teaches us that others should praise us. What happens if nobody ever praises you? Here's a radical idea: You have to start singing your own praises. It does not matter if the rest of world praises you or not. Praise is simply another form of self love and acceptance. Give yourself more love and acceptance today and watch how your life unfolds in many powerful ways.
Praise is simply a small way that we express appreciation and gratitude for ourselves. It is a valuable way to remind ourselves just how perfect and wonderful we are at this moment. Praise allows us to focus more on the good or what is working well for us. When we focus on the good, we will find that we have a lot more good going on than we ever realized. The more we focus on the good, the less we can complain.
Self praise is the little known secret to getting more out of life. The most successful and happy people in world talk about what they can do instead of what they cannot do. These people can tell you about their strengths faster than they could tell you about their lesser strengths or weaknesses. These people also see themselves as successful people who succeed in big and small ways everyday while the rest of us see ourselves as largely failures. We simply ignore all the successes that we are creating everyday because these successes are small and ordinary.
Praise helps us to build confidence and trust within ourselves. The greater confidence that we have within ourselves allows us to go after what we want in life. Let me challenge you to start praising yourself as soon as you wake up. Compliment yourself. Remind yourself of how wonderful and gifted you are. Remind yourself that you are valuable and important to this world. Sing your praises all day. Praise instead of criticize yourself. Praise instead of complain.
Express gratitude about the big and small deeds you did yesterday and expect many more little successes today. It is so important to acknowledge yourself for the small, ordinary things that you ordinarily take for granted. We take our success for granted because we believe that our successes have be on some grand scale for it to count. There are really no written rules about what can and cannot be worthy of praise. Everything that points to the good within us and the good within our lives is worthy of praise. Soon, you will realize that you are already successful in so many areas of your life.
Praise your experiences and circumstances, even if you desire a change. We can learn to praise and honor our worse circumstances since every experience benefits us. Life is always supporting us, even when everything seems to be going wrong. We are never defined by our circumstances. Our job is to find the lessons and opportunities hidden within our circumstances. Praise makes it easier to find the benefits of where we are instead of complaining about where we want to be.
Remind yourself of what you have achieved and survived up to this point. Honor yourself for having survived the difficult periods of your life and know that the past is behind you. Remind yourself that the best is yet to come, regardless of your current circumstances.
Pay tribute to your body, even if your health is not optimal at the moment. Thank your body for all it does to keep you alive and functioning. Praise those parts of your body in need of healing. Be grateful for those parts of your body that you want to change if could. Love your nose even if you believe it is too large. Love your body even if you are not your ideal weight.
Now here comes the tough one: Praise every single person in your life from the past and present, even if the person hurt you in some way. Praise your friends and enemies alike. The people who we meet along our life journey are all important teachers to us, even those who have treated us horribly. Be thankful for the lessons that your teachers taught you, even if the experiences were painful. Lessons are key to your growth as a person. Thank your teachers for helping you to grow into a greater person.
Remember you have a choice to praise or criticize yourself. You will benefit so much more from praise than criticism. Today, every time you catch yourself criticizing or putting yourself down, stop yourself. Now think about something to praise yourself for, no matter how small or insignificant. We need to be reminded just how wonderful, brave and successful we are on so many levels. If you are not thinking wonderful thoughts about yourself, then who else will? Praise yourself today and everyday. Watch your confidence soar and your faith in yourself grow. Step into your power as a person.
Copyright©2007 Jeannine Robinson All Rights Reserved