In my need to feel accepted I would strive for perfection. My self talk was so terrible that I always thought I wasn’t enough, I truly believed if I could just be a little better or a little more, I would be accepted by others.
I’ve started to shed that layer of myself (while doing so I ate too many cookies, now I look like I haven’t shed anything, but layered up if you know what I’m saying 😉
My need to feel accepted has been replaced with creating spaces of belonging.
Maya Angelou said, “You only are free when you realize you belong no place — you belong every place — no place at all.”
There are times everyone struggles with feelings of isolation because deep down we all need to belong.
Our ego likes to tell us we are different than others and that we don’t fit in.
When we allow ego to separate us, we begin to tell ourselves a story with all of the evidence about why we are different. The more evidence we look for the more evidence we find. Tension builds inside ourselves and we feel like we have to break away.
I’ve done this so many times in the past. I didn’t understand the tension I was feeling in my body, I just knew I was uncomfortable.
The truth is deep down everyone feels the same as you do. The more you understand the way you feel, the more you can relate to others and instead of separating yourself from them, you feel the connection to them.
Searching for ways to be a little more brave and allowing myself to be a little more vulnerable has changed everything.
I’ve learned that when I feel different, I have separated myself because I am afraid. And that’s ok, but not a good enough reason to walk away.