Cultivating Worthiness

Life Coaching Tip: The more you recognize and appreciate the beauty around you, the more you’ll recognize and appreciate the beauty within you. This simple but powerful exercise will get you started. You deserve the sense of “enoughness,” peace, and fulfillment on the other side!

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To feel fully empowered, connected and fulfilled in life requires BOTH a fierce sense of self-confidence and a solid embodiment of self-worth.

Yet, most of us have work to do in one, or both, of these areas.

If this is you, let me first say, nothing has gone wrong and there’s nothing wrong with you!

This is a VERY COMMON problem that many people encounter, especially women.

But most stay stuck in the grind—year after year—hustling for worthiness . . . achieving but never quite feeling satisfied, joyous, and alive.

YOU, on the other hand, are now ahead of the game, because you have an awareness of what might be getting in your way.

You don’t “have to” or “need to” do this work, but you truly DERSERVE the peace and fulfillment on the other side.

So today, I am sharing an amazing practice with you that you can start implementing right away that will help you immediately begin to cultivate a more expansive sense of self-worth.

And although this exercise may seem simple and your brain might tell you that it should be more sophisticated to be effective, I assure you, that’s just a trick of your primal brain to keep you stuck in your comfort zone.

This practice is POWERFUL, and it’s based on brain science. 

Not only have my clients received real-life success with it, but I have, too.

Easy is a good thing, and this work does not have to be complicated or hard! (Please take a moment and remind your brain of this if you’re feeling resistant:)

Here’s the drill . . . .

Self-worth is the belief that you are enough and worthy of love and belonging just as you are—regardless of your accomplishments, productivity, or performance.

However, negative self-talk is a major obstacle that can get in the way of feeling “enough.”

Many of us have developed a habit of criticizing and judging ourselves over just about everything and looking for all the reasons we are “not enough.”

Our self-talk is harsh and shaming—and, of course, feelings of self-love and sufficiency can’t grow and flourish in an environment filled with meanspirited putdowns.

And when this happens, our vibrational energy can then take a dump and wipe out our sense of hope, optimism, and joy.

But if you’ve ever tried to fight this and abruptly stop the negative self-talk and force your brain into submission, it likely didn’t go so well. Your inner mean girl probably used the experience as ammunition, another reason to judge and shame you and add to the “failure” list.

This exercise offers a different approach and bypasses that resistance. 

It will help you break the habit of focusing on your self-perceived flaws by intentionally shifting your focus to the beauty and positive attributes of the people, places, and things around you.

Here’s what you do . . . .

As you go through your day, intentionally and regularly seek out the beauty in the world.

Really look at the things around you, especially the ordinary things you may typically tune out or find fault with – like the sky, cars, appliances,  trees, familiar views, everyday sounds, smells, tastes, and touches.

Find beauty in unexpected places.

And, recognize beauty in others – in their compassion, choices, courage, aspirations, insights.

You can do this every hour on the hour, in time segments spread throughout your day, or as a morning or evening journaling exercise.

Here’s what that might look like . . . .

• Focusing on the fresh smell of your sheets when they come out of the dryer rather than on what a pain it is to do laundry.
• Focusing on the sweet, curious nature of your kitten, rather than the scratches she’s made on your couch with her tiny sharp claws.
• Focusing on the delicious flavors, bright colors, and sweet aroma of the fruit salad you’ve made rather than the effort it took to prepare it.
• Focusing on the peaceful sound of the rain rather than what the humidity does to your hair.
• Focusing on your partner’s infectious laugh, beautiful eyes, and compassionate nature, rather than the way he repeats the same old stories for days.

If you intentionally practice seeing the beauty in the things around you, over time, this will become your pattern, your habit, and eventually your default way of experiencing life.

It’s less about “positive thinking” and more about shifting your mindset—carving new neural pathways in your brain that will inevitably help you see, appreciate, and love the beauty in yourself, too.

Because, the more you recognize and appreciate the beauty around you, the more you’ll recognize and appreciate the beauty within you.

It simply works that way.

What you focus on, you create more of.

And the best part?

When you shine, the whole world benefits, my sister!

xo Tracy

PS – Ready to go deeper and take your life to the next level and beyond?  Private Coaching will get you there.  Learn how to join here: https://movingforwardcoaching.com/moving-forward-life-coaching-private-coaching/

PPS – The next Shine On Group + Coaching Program begins November 6/7, and you belong in the room! Learn how to join the waiting list here: https://movingforwardcoaching.com/moving-forward-shine-on-group-coaching-program/