I Needed to Start Accepting Exactly Who I am.

I always assumed I was something that needed to be changed or “fixed”. I assumed I was supposed to be more of a social butterfly or more outgoing and comfortable in groups of people. I assumed my body needed to be changed because so many others seemed to need to change their own. I assumed the best way to show your worth was through pushing harder, showing up no matter what, helping others feel comfortable.

...until I realized I was trying to fit myself into a box that wasn’t my shape.

I was trying to “fix” myself thinking I would end up being MORE like the other people around me. The issue was not that I needed to be someone else, but that I needed to start accepting exactly who I am. I needed to start appreciating not just other people’s personality traits but my own too. I needed to start realizing that sometimes I just need more rest than others. Sometimes I enjoy reading a book just as much as I enjoy being social.

I began to start accepting parts of myself slowly but surely. Not because I threw up my hands and said this is what it is, but because I found comfort in them. There is always room for growth, but it has to come secondary to acceptance. One of my greatest gifts is my sensitivity. It has taken me 31 years to realize that is not a flaw. My sensitivity helps me be a good listener. It helps me connect with other people. It also makes me cringe a little with small talk because what I really love is the human connection. 😂

You see maybe we aren’t always something that needs to be fixed or changed. Maybe we just need to be better listeners and begin to compassionately begin to accept parts of ourselves.
There will always always be room for growth, but there is often glory in the growth, what we don’t talk about enough is the acceptance first.

It’s ok to start there, to start curiously sorting through the ideas you have about yourself first while leading with compassion.

You might be surprised at what you find.❤️

-A Life Nourished