Self Esteem
Who is really responsible for it? Just like it says in the description, we are. SELF. Well that causes me to feel guilty. Now I have no one to blame. So ‘n so told me this or that about me and I thought it was true. I thought everyone else thought that, so I did too.
Imagine in your brain there is a big board like you would see in front of the classroom at a major university. Floor to ceiling, overlapping. Things are written on that board. Things about us are written there by other people that we come across in our lives. They may be acquaintances, or people we consider true friends, even family. All of these things that are written are words of judgement, criticism, opinion, approval, and even love. These things are written on the outermost board covering the ones behind.
The things on this board range from the good, to the bad, to the ugly. They may be a simple first impression or a judgement that comes from someone that truly knows you forward, backward, and inside out.
We read these things to ourselves often or occasionally, depending on what triggers the memory of this person writing thing on the board in your brain. Feelings of what we think of ourselves float in. Things associated with this word or phrase. Thoughts toward self and not all bad. Just thoughts that trigger emotion and feeling deep within.
When these thoughts and emotions, feeling and self-judgements float in, we have a choice to make. You are standing in front of this big, huge board with an eraser. You choose what you keep on that wall of words that others have written. Yes, you heard me correctly. YOU CHOOSE! What value and self-worth we allow ourselves to experience is in our control. It wasn’t in our control when it was written there because it was written by someone else. We cannot control others, but we can control how we cope, and how we let these words affect us. Do we leave these words and feelings associated with those words there, or do we erase them and not let them get to us? Do we use those words constructively in our lives to become better, or do we look upon the criticism and add to self- doubts and feeling unworthy or unloved?
It is the same concept. We have control of what stays on the wall of words. Erase any that do not cultivate encouragement, gratitude, or happiness in our lives. Erase any that do not come from those we trust and respect. If they come from a person in our lives that we do value their opinion, take it and decide if it is truth. You know your true, authentic self. If the words are a bit uncomfortable or painful, and if they convict, think about what you can do to change to become a better person for it. Do not allow it to dictate how you feel about yourself.
Lastly, the big board behind the ones in front, when those smaller boards are rolled to the sides, it reveals everything true, real, loved, worthy, and authentic about you. It reveals the person you were created and meant to be. The positive, encouraging, and amazing words that uplift. These words cannot be erased. This reveals the beautiful person ON THE INSIDE.
Please comment your thoughts, like and share to your friends, and invite them to On the Inside Facebook group. I’m also on Instagram at On_the_Inside_2021. If you have ideas or things that you would like me to touch on you can email me at ontheinside21@gmail.com.
On the Inside 