It’s time to believe you’re worth it
Remember Stuart Smalley, the motivational speaker on SNL who’d famously recite:
I’m good enough. I’m smart enough. And gosh darnit, people like me!
I think I was in elementary school when this skit was popular, and as a young woman I’d roll my eyes with the cheesiness of it all.
(Blech! These lame grownups and their lame self-help!)
Fast forward to today and thinking of this skit makes me smile. Not because I find it any less cheesy. But because I find it to be 100% necessary.
Just imagine what would shift for all of us if we could take a moment to actually pause and affirm our worthiness out loud –
To ourselves?
To our family?
To our coworkers and managers?
One of the toughest hurdles my clients have to overcome in our work together is the acknowledgement and acceptance of their worthiness.
But not in a slogany, stare-at-yourself-in-the-mirror kind of way.
In a real, deep, true, slow, uncomfortable way – one that recognizes that, simply by existing, they are worthy.
You are worthy.
Worthy of having needs.
Worthy of speaking those needs aloud.
Worthy of wanting time for yourself.
Worthy of stepping away, even for a moment, to nurture and care for yourself.
Worthy of learning about yourself and your inner landscape.
Worthy of listening to your own internal compass.
Worthy of making your own decisions, simply because it feels right.
So much of the women’s empowerment/self-care movement preaches that bubble baths, wine nights with girlfriends, or HIIT workouts are the key to loving yourself.
But any woman who’s felt guilty sneaking out for a mani-pedi knows that simply doing “self-care” doesn’t change how we feel about ourselves and what we believe we’re worth.
If you want to start living an authentic life – one where you understand yourself, you trust your inner wisdom, and you show up as your own greatest ally – you have to start with your worthiness.
Of course, the next question turns to how? Like, what switch needs to get flipped to suddenly and wholly believe we’re worth it?!
If only it were that easy.
Much like everything else, the key to installing this update in your belief system is to start small. Here are some examples:
Pause long enough to notice how you’re feeling – instead of rushing past an uncomfortable emotion or sensation, tune into it and explore what it is. In doing so, you’re telling your body and your heart that you’re important enough to pay attention to.
Choose one small thing you can do today to prioritize yourself – maybe it’s not an hour-long workout, but maybe it’s a ten minute stretching class online. Start carving out mini moments in your day to put your needs first. With practice, these moments will get longer.
Say one nice thing to yourself when you wake up – the struggle to be kind to ourselves is real. And combating it starts with our own inner monologue. Give yourself an acknowledgement or complement in the morning. Bonus points if you say it out loud while looking at yourself in the mirror!
And if you’re ready to join a small group of others who are ready to step into their worthy, authentic selves, I’d love for you to join me at my upcoming, live event:
Rediscovering Your Authentic Self
Tuesday, August 29th
3-4:30pm ET
LIVE on Zoom
Together we’ll use powerful questions, thoughtful reflection exercises, and small group discussions to expand our understanding of what it means to be our Authentic Selves – and how to begin making choices that align with this version of us.
I really hope you’ll join us!
Onward,
