As you close your eyes and listen closely, gain a new perspective on what your inner voice should be telling you.
*Sign up for Weekly Updates HERE!
Welcome to the Be Your Best Self Blog by Marsha Abbott.
"Listen Closely..."
Let’s sit here together for a minute. I want you to close your eyes and just listen. What do you hear….?
Are you listening to those noises around you? If so, then I want you to try again.
Close your eyes and listen closely…listen from within. Now what do you hear? What is your inner voice telling you? How is it making you feel? I hope it’s nothing but awesomeness! But what I have been realizing lately is that this isn’t always the case…or it isn’t for my mom anyway.
So let me tell you about my mom. I have known her since I was a tiny, little embryo in her womb. You can’t know someone longer than that! She has literally been the only person in the world that I can say I have known the longest in my life. And I just have to tell you,” Gosh, I love her.”
This woman has been the best mom anyone could ever ask for! Now I realize she isn’t perfect, as nobody is. And sure, mistakes probably happened along the way as she raised me. But from my point of view…those mistakes are hard to see. Because when I think about my mom and all that she has done for me…well I am just going to say it,” She is perfect!”
And that is how I see it…from my point of view.
But that is the thing about an outsider looking in. Sometimes we see what that other person can’t see in themselves. And with my mom, this is no exception. About four months ago, we went shopping together, and my mom made a comment that really stuck with me. It actually shocked me more than anything. She was telling us that when she looks in the mirror, she doesn’t always have the best things to say to herself.
So if I asked her right now to sit with me for just a minute and listen closely…from within…well let’s just say that her inner voice…it isn’t every nice…not at all. Unfortunately, it is not made up of awesomeness…instead, that inner voice of hers is just plain, old mean. And when she shared this four months ago with me, when she finally opened up and was truthful about that voice within, I was literally and utterly shocked. I couldn’t believe that she viewed herself this way. I just couldn’t believe it…
Can any of you relate? And be honest as we answer these next questions together. When you listen closely to that inner voice of yours, do you sometimes, or maybe all of the time, hear these next things: I am ugly. I am fat. I am stupid. I am not good enough. I hate myself.
And if you are hearing these things, then this next question is the most important one: Do you hate what you hear?
If so, then we need to change that. In order to be our best selves, we just need to stop that already. We need to stop and show that inner voice who’s boss!! We need to remind that voice inside that this is NOT who we are. And it’s definitely not how others see us. We need to start looking at ourselves the way others do. Like the way I see my mom.
The reason I was so shocked when my mom confessed those words was because it couldn’t be more different than the way I see her. And here is what I see:
I see pure beauty…inside and out. I see a woman filled with compassion for those around her. I see a mother who loves with all of her heart. I see the most selfless person I know. She gives all that she has to everyone…everyday…until she can’t give anymore. But even then, she still finds a way to do more. It’s who she is. It’s who she has always been. It’s who she will always be. She is absolutely perfect…in my eyes.
And it’s finally time her inner voice reminds her of this too. It’s time for her to show that voice whose boss. And if you too struggle with this, it’s time to put your foot down and get that voice to obey. You are the boss and nobody else.
So repeat after me: You ARE beautiful enough…You ARE smart enough…You ARE good enough… You ARE Enough! (And don’t forget to shout this if you need to.)
It’s time to start seeing the real you…to look at yourself the exact same way others see you. Which is nothing less than awesomeness!
So for my mom and for those of you out there who are struggling with your inner voice, I want you to take another minute right now and listen closely. What are you really hearing? If you don’t like any part of it, then it’s time to change that…to stop and finally, after all this time, show that voice deep inside of you who’s really in charge, who’s really the boss… and ultimately, that’s You.
*For those of you struggling with something in life or have a topic of interest that you want me to talk about in this blog, email me at BeYourBestSelfBlog@gmail.com. Let’s work together to Be Our Best Selves!