I Love me who do you love?

4^th February 2012

Some people develop a wishbone where their backbone should be. Unknown

Keep looking out the window each morning for the snow, none yet but I’ve been told it’s been promised!  We shall wait and see and deal with it when it arrives.

It was my friends 40^th birthday yesterday, and we all went for lunch together to celebrate, it’s also been a year since we started our Friday lunches and boy has it been a great year and I’m happy to report I’m actually exactly the same weight as I was this time last year and the year before, so I really do have this maintenance lark under control don’t I!  My weight fluctuates by 5lb either side of 11 stone, now that isn’t my goal weight according to the BMI chart unfortunately I’d have to be 5ft 6in (2inches taller than I am) for it to be, but it is my happy weight and a weight I have no problems maintaining whilst enjoying a meal out with friends, a drink and still eating healthy and moving plenty.  And just in case you were curious, I should be 10st 6lb that’s what’s typed on my goal card and I’m allowed +5lb.

Luckily I don’t buy into the bmi charts too much because I personally believe them to be a little outdated, that is however only my personal opinion and not necessarily a correct one.  Being healthy for me is more than just a number, it about making the wise choices, making sure you eat good healthy foods, enjoy the odd treat, move as much as possible and feel good about yourself.  I love me and I love my life, I feel fortunate that I’m surrounded by so many wonderful people and I do my best to always be positive.  It’s taken me a long time and a lot of hard work to get to where I am now but it really was worth the journey, and I will keep working on it daily.

I’ve read lots of personal development books and even done some workshops over the years and one thing that I’ve come across quite often is mirror work.  It’s used to help people find the cause of an issue that keeps them from loving ourselves. So if you have trouble with the whole “I LOVE ME” thing and struggle to say it, have a go, here’s an excerpt from Louise Hay’s Book “The Power is Within You” she’s an amazing lady and well worth reading;

“There are several ways that you can practice mirror work. I like to look in the mirror the first thing in the morning and say: "I love you. What can I do for you today? How can I make you happy?" Listen to your inner voice, and start following through with what you hear. You may not get any messages to begin with because you're so used to scolding yourself, and you don't know how to respond with a kind, loving thought. If something unpleasant happens to you during the day, go to the mirror and say: "I love you anyway." Events come and go, but the love that you have for yourself is constant, and it is the most important quality you possess in your life. If something wonderful happens, go to the mirror and say, "Thank you." Acknowledge yourself for creating this wonderful experience.  You can forgive in the mirror, too. Forgive yourself and forgive others. You can talk to other people in the mirror, especially when you are afraid to talk to them in person. You can clean up old issues with people, parents, bosses, doctors, children, lovers. You can say all sorts of things that you would be afraid to say otherwise, and remember to end by asking them for their love and approval because that is what you really want.

People who have problems loving themselves are almost always people who are not willing to forgive because not forgiving shuts that particular door. When we forgive and let go, not only does a huge weight drop off our shoulders, but the doorway to our own self-love opens up. People will say, "Oh, such a load has dropped off!" Well, of course it has, because we’ve been carrying this burden forever. Dr. John Harrison states that forgiveness of both the self and the parents, coupled with the release of past hurts, cures more illness than any antibiotic ever could.  It takes a lot to make children stop loving their parents, but when they do, it takes even more for them to forgive them. When we won't forgive, when we won't let go, we're binding ourselves to the past, and when we are stuck in the past, we cannot live in present time, and if we are not living in the present, how can we create our joyous future? Old garbage from the past just creates more garbage for the future.
(she then goes on to talking about affirmations in front of the mirror & over stuff – buy the book if you’re interested) And then she ends the section with;

Finally, love yourself now—don't wait until you get it right. Dissatisfaction with yourself is a habit pattern.  If you can be satisfied with yourself now, if you can love and approve of yourself now, then when good comes into your life, you will be able to enjoy it. Once you learn to love yourself, you can begin to love and accept other people. We can't change other people, so leave them alone. We spend a lot of energy trying to make others different. If we used half that energy on ourselves, we could make ourselves different, and when we are different, others respond differently to us.

You can't learn life for another person. Everyone has to learn his or her particular lessons. All you can do is learn for yourself, and loving yourself is the first step, so
you are not brought down by other people's destructive behaviours. If you are in a situation where you are with a really negative person who doesn't want to change, you need to love yourself enough to move away from that.

Louise L Hay is amazing and I love to read and listen to her, she fills me with such positivity and I would recommend anyone who could do with a good dose of positivity  and reality looks into her work.

It’s Saturday and whether it snows or not I’m gonna have a fabulous day and this headcold that’s lingering can do one!  Time to walk Alfie...