Shouldn't the ultimate New Year's resolution be - being kind to yourself? It pretty much covers everything, and probably for most people. Read on.
Make
2012 the Year of Being Kind to Yourself
That was a headline I
read in today’s local paper. I didn’t
bother to read the article; instead I chose to enjoy my inner monologue.
Previously I had
decided that I should make “lose weight/get in shape” my New Year’s resolution,
for the umpteenth time. (Oh, that’s
original.) Instead I pondered the
meaning of being kind to yourself. Being
kind to yourself in respect to diet could mean not holding yourself to rigid
food regimes, when you know you’ll rebel.
In turn it could also mean being kind enough, to yourself that you don’t
gorge on high fat, high sugar goodies that won’t-be-so-good-for-you in the
future.
But being kind to
yourself really has more implications than just diet. It also means having respect for your own
time, making time for things that truly matter like pursuing Spiritual life,
spending time with family and friends working on ideas and projects that
further your skill set and taking time out to exercise for your health, as well
as allowing yourself time to enjoy those time-waster activities. (Facebook,
anyone?)
Being kind to yourself
means standing up to others when it’s needed.
Being kind to yourself also means having courtesy for others when
appropriate.
That said, being kind
to yourself means not demanding perfection out of your actions, projects, ideas
or work. Being kind to yourself means allowing things to be “good enough”,
instead of perfect. Being kind to
yourself means not beating yourself up for eating that extra slice of cake,
watching tv an hour longer, or playing that computer game.
The Bible in the Book
of Leviticus (19:18) states to “Love your neighbor as yourself” – how can I do
this, when I (doubtless many others as well) don’t even love ourselves
correctly. Perhaps the old adage is
correct. You have to love yourself before
anyone else can love you.
2012 I resolve to be
kind to myself. Doesn’t it really cover
everything?
