Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all realised how amazing we are, if we believed completely in our own capabilities, and were able to protect ourselves from negative criticism. We would all be aware of our strengths and weaknesses, and have a strong sense of worth, not only about our talents, but also regarding our potential. Most importantly, we would be accepting of ourselves, even taking past regrets and flaws into account. Well, it’s a lovely thought!

But if we could, life would look a LOT different. Gone would be those days of self loathing and self destructive behaviour. Mood would vastly improve, even when things don’t go our way, and we would be less inclined to depression and depressive illnesses.

“Incredible people like you are wasting their whole lives not embracing how f*****g magical they are, right now.” – Harri Rose

You ARE amazing! Believe it! For a start, your body is unique and absolutely mind blowing in its complexity and potential. Technically made of stardust, your body is made up of some 37 trillion cells. On top of that, you were incredibly lucky to be born in the first place! The chances are equal to 1 in 10^2,685,000. I don’t even know what that means, except that the chance is so low that it is effectively zero. Doesn’t that make worrying about your weight, or what your work colleagues think of you, seem a bit pointless in the great scheme of things?

Hopefully, it does, but if not, here are a few more pointers towards realising the miraculous unique wonder that is YOU!

Be kind to yourself. Remember,Your body hears everything your brain tells it. So while you are busily thinking about what you do not like about yourself, your brain absorbs those thoughts like punches. Over and over. Poor brain! Maybe it’s time you gave yourself a break?

Self reassurance. I personally love affirmations.I whisper soothing, familiar mantras to myself all day long! Here are some of my favourites:

“This too shall pass.”

“I am strong, even stronger than I realise.”

“I am in the right place doing the right thing at the right time.”

“Today is a new day.”

“I believe in me.”

“I choose happiness.”

If the world of affirmations and mantras feels a bit odd, put yourself in a thankful state by celebrating what you don’t have. For example, enjoy not having a tooth or ear ache, not being homeless, not being friendless , or not being unemployed. So often we think about all the things we have, but don’t want, like stress, bills and responsibilities. It is powerful to broaden your perspective by noticing all the things that you are free of.

Let go of the things you can’t change. One of the hardest things to do in life is trying to put aside something that we wish had not happened. We spend time re-running events and scenarios through in our minds. We wish that we had said something else, acted differently or we had not been in that situation at all. It is too easy to become filled with negative regret and allow it to access our every thought and action in the present. But so what if you accidentally said something stupid or embarrassed yourself? It’s highly likely what you said or did probably wasn’t nearly as bad as you think. It probably didn’t even register on the memory of others that were there. People don’t remember the little things, so neither should you. You can’t change the past, so don’t waste time thinking about it. The more time you give to these negative thoughts, the less confident you will feel.

Slow down. Life speeds from one activity to another. It’s no wonder we get stressed and feel out of control like some sort of crazy runaway train. We rush to get up in the morning to get to work, to get through work, to get home, to exercise, to eat, to get to bed. And then we get up and do it all again. Stop for a minute. Savour the experiences. Think about what you were just doing, and what you have to be grateful in that experience. There is a danger you will wake up and wonder where your life went. You were so busy, you missed it.

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life: “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one we feed.”

Be kind to others. Do something nice for someone. Helping others, especially those who are less fortunate, can help us put things into perspective and make us feel more positive. There is evidence that acts of kindness can increase our feelings of happiness, optimism and satisfaction. Also, when we are kind to others, it likely that we are going to be kinder to ourselves.

“There are two ways to live. You can live as if nothing is a miracle; or you can live as if everything is a miracle” – Albert Einstein

Nobody has a perfect life, whatever you see on Instagram. There will always be bumps in the road. But it is too easy to become dissatisfied to some degree or another with some small aspect of your life. Think about it. Consider your problems and concerns in the grand scheme of things. Stop. Breathe. Think about the time you have ahead of you. The endless potential and opportunities. Look around at nature, the wonders of the universe and the miracles of life that surround you. Now, turn your eye to yourself. Be amazed. You are amazing ❤️