I have listened to an audiobook twice now on YouTube of You Can Heal Your Life, by Louise Hay, and it made me think about Joy as an acronym. I came up with, "Just Open Yourself," and in my search, others have thought of this acronym as well, so I am not taking credit for it, but it seemed to fit perfectly with what I was listening to from Louise Hay. Her book focuses on our openness and willingness to change our thoughts internally to impact our external lives. Some may refer to this as a form of manifestation. I just call it magic!
Although it is easy to feel that pressure of always thinking positive so we do not "mess up" our lives, that is not Louise Hay's main takeaways. Yes, we have to make that choice to change the way we think about ourselves so that we have that clarity and confidence to achieve all that we want in life. At the same time, we are not supposed to berate ourselves every time we struggle with this. She mentions how important it is to not focus on our mistakes or what we did in the past or the decisions we made that have led us to what we perceive as "lack." Instead, focus on the present and the decisions at this very moment to start to think differently about ourselves, to benefit our highest good.
Louise expresses how as babies, we love ourselves and know how to communicate our needs. As we grow and start internalizing negativity and all the thoughts against ourselves, we lose that self-love that is supposed to support our lives for the better. She encourages us to use repeated affirmations daily, such as these:
I experience love wherever I go. I now create a wonderful new job. I am now very well-organized. I love and approve of myself. I trust the process of life to bring me the highest good. I deserve the best and I accept it now.
Within the last few months, I have incorporated these types of affirmations into my life. I have been doing my best to replace thoughts against myself with those of abundance and joy. This is huge for me that I have nearly stopped putting myself down, and I realize that admitting this struggle may surprise many of you. The truth is, I started my blog because I have struggled most of my life with self-deprecating thoughts and choosing joy. I have come to recognize that many of us also struggle with these thoughts, so I share these truths so that we can come together and support each other on this journey to joy.
Louise mentions the "fear of the unknown" as the barrier to opening up. This is 1000% true. We are afraid to fail...that is the root of this fear. That is why we allow our thoughts to go against our self-worth. And that is when we have to dig deep and discover why we are afraid to fail, and why we put ourselves down. Once we do this, we start to discover that these thoughts about failure and about ourselves are simply not true. Failure is not bad. If we never fail, then we never learn and grow. Failure does not make us unworthy. We are only unworthy as long as we choose to think we are unworthy.
I am much more aware of how destructive my thoughts can be, and I have seen how it has held me back financially, with my career, and even with relationships.
Financially, I have always given money too much power over me, as if it is something I cannot attain or manage. I have been weighed down by debt most of my adult life and the lack of money has caused me a lot of unnecessary stress.
Career-wise, I have often told myself that I am not experienced enough, not qualified enough, not smart enough, or scare myself away from positions that seem "too overwhelming." I have also not acknowledged my true worth in terms of salary.
In relationships, I have not recognized my self-worth and I have not chosen myself first. And when I am not in a relationship, I have too often told myself that I will never find someone, or that I am not deserving of love.
Once we come to terms with the truth about the power of our thoughts in our lives, we step into awareness, and then we start to open up to joy. We are beautiful and unique creations that have more power within than we often give ourselves credit for. Our ultimate purpose in life is discovered from tapping into that power and believing in ourselves, first and foremost. Once we have discovered that power, anything our heart desires is possible!
Friends, I encourage you all to let go of those thoughts and choose self-love instead. When you allow this love in, you open yourself up to receiving more joy. It is my understanding that God/the universe is always on your side and does not work against you. So, why should you be against yourself?
Just Open Yourself, and let joy in. Shine on!
**In November 2023, I was provided with an amazing resource that further explores self-acceptance. It's a comprehensive guide titled,"The Power of Self-Acceptance — and 12 Ways to Build It." I encourage you to check it out as you learn to embrace who you are and be kind to yourself.**
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