"Shift Happens"

Turns out the most recent book I've been reading works in perfectly with my word for 2013 {enough}.

No amount of self-improvement can make up for a lack of self-acceptance.

Self-acceptance = enough.  

More on this:

Self-acceptance is your number one goal in life.  Why?  Because for as long as you believe that there is something unacceptable about you, you will push away love, you will sabotage success, you will unconsciously conspire against joy, you will struggle, and you will never really find out who you are or what you are really capable of.                                             

With self-acceptance, you fear you will lose something, but really you lose nothing that is real and gain everything that is. For instance, with self-acceptance, you lose your fear of lack and gain wholeness, you lose your guilt and gain innocence, you lose your self-criticism and gain great creativity, and you lose your ego and you regain your Unconditioned Self.                                                                                                                        

(Shift Happens: How to live an Inspired Life...Starting right now! pg 95)

 

So expect a little less self-improvement around here.

And my goal is to replace the self-improvement with giving.  Because the author Robert Holden has some life-altering things to mention about giving of ourselves as well:

You are a gift-bearer, blessed with gifts of God, and you are here on earth to live fully and give fully--not just things, but who you are.  You are the gift. My work has shown me over and over again that when people do not give themselves fully they experience lack, struggle with discontent, emptiness, isolation and illness. Do not sit on your gifts. 

The truth is giving is a treasure in itself.  For instance, when you offer your smile, it is your body that produces more immunity-enhancing "T" cells; when you give love, it is your heart that gets the message; and when you give praise to someone , it is your consciousness that is raised.  What you give to others, you affirm for yourself.  Giving is receiving.  There is not loss. 

                            (Shift Happens: How to live an Inspired Life...Starting right now! pg 84) 

So being lazy on the couch and getting nothing done?  Doesn't make me feel any better, and definitely doesn't benefit anyone else. Although I do need to figure out how watching my favorite t.v. shows is giving {ratings, perhaps? helping people with their careers?} because that I can't give up.

But as much as I can, I want to create scenes like this one of J#3 and me with our (according to him) "roofs" on:

Those are the types of moments that give me enough happiness to last all day.

revisiting: enough

At the beginning of the year, instead of choosing a new year's resolution, I chose a word.  The funny thing is...life happens.  I honestly forgot about my word until I saw someone post about their's just a few days ago.

My word for 2013 was enough.

When I think of that word now, five months into the year, it begins to take on a different meaning than I had originally intended.

It started out as being about "enough excuses, enough of thinking too much, enough of being too hard on myself." Huh.  Well, I guess it hasn't changed all that much.  Although, frankly I haven't made a ton of progress on those items.

So here's to reigniting a dedication to my word: enough.

The original intent was actually the idea that I am enough. I don't need the opinions of others to make me feel better about myself.  I don't need to keep trying to improve myself.

I am enough just the way I am.

You know what that means?  Anything else is just an improvement.

* * * 

How about you? Did you pick a word for the year?  Or tackle any new year's resolutions?  

Tell me how they are going.  

2013. I am enough.

Here's the story.

Just like a lot of folks out there, each year I've come up with resolutions that I don't end up keeping much past January 12.

Even when I went a different route in 2012 and chose the word 'brave' as my word of the year, I accomplished about 2.5 of the 10 ways I outlined I'd be brave.

This year?  I'm going to start out with a different idea.

Source: wipkits.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Here is my question for you (It's also the one I've been asking myself for the last few days):
Why do we need to start every year thinking of how we need to fix ourselves?

So often, resolutions are things that we think we need to improve about ourselves. It seems self defeating to start the year off with an attitude that adjustment is needed, when really...just about every person {especially those reading this blog} are pretty darn good people.  Exactly as the person that they are today.

That means you.  Yes.  You.

I dare you to join me.

Sit back and just enjoy the clean slate.  Imagine the opportunities to come in 2013.

Make some plans, get your calendar and planner ready.  But don't go making 101 changes today.  Take it slowly.  Work yourself into it.

No, I'm not giving up on the whole idea of resolutions or having a 'word of the year'.  In fact, I am beyond excited about 2013, its opportunities and the clean slate tht it provides.

And I have big plans. But more on that later.

For now?

Source: Uploaded by user via Tracy on Pinterest

And yes. You are too. You are smart enough. You are good enough. And if you're reading my blog, than surely I must like you, right?