I have a saying I constantly remind my five year old son to live by: Treat others how you
wish to be treated. He refused to share his favorite truck with his friend and he received
a time out for being ornery and selfish about the incident. During his time out, he
proceeded to berate and belittle himself. I heard him tell himself that he was the
meanest kid ever and that nobody liked him. It broke my heart. I changed the saying I’ve
been teaching him. It is now: Treat others and yourself how you wish to be treated.
We so often forget to care for ourselves in a kind and nurturing manner. It is easy to
understand that we must be kind to others in order to receive kindness in return, but we
often forget to be kind to ourselves. How can we really expect others to treat us with
compassion and generosity when we refuse to give it to ourselves first?
This week’s Bhatki Festival is a great and gentle reminder to be the change you wish to
see. By engaging in positive, loving acts toward one’s self, we become more able to be
the positive contributing members of society we are meant to be. By treating ourselves
with loving-kindness first, it will soon overflow into more areas in our lives and come
back to us multiplied.
Studies show that engaging in positive thinking and meditation can significantly reduce
stress, thus increase health and well-being. The easiest way to begin the process is by
taking a few minutes each day to engage in positive thought. Considering we spend all
day, every day with ourself, finding a few minutes to give yourself positive reinforcement
isn’t that hard. A couple minutes in the shower, while making coffee, while brushing your
teeth, while driving to work, or right before you doze off to sleep is all you need to start
giving yourself the love you wish to receive from others.
Start by being thankful for anything, even if it’s only the fact that you are alive and
breathing. If you have a hard time finding thankfulness for anything in your life, gently
remind yourself that you have accomplished a great deal to get to where you are right
now. You have overcome obstacles and have something to be proud of. Gently guide
yourself toward the “glass half-full” mentality. You can imagine how you would speak to
yourself if you were a small child. What kind words would you use to encourage and
support that child? Just as learning any new skill requires practice and patience, so
does learning to quiet your mind and replace self-negating thoughts with positive ones.
Every day, simply try to be aware of the thoughts you think about yourself. Since most
of us wish for a life of health and abundance, positive thought is one of the best ways to
make that wish a reality. As one of my mentors, Mike Dooley, always says, “Thoughts
become things. Choose the good ones.”
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