Monday, November 3, 2008

Lesson 19: Change and Acceptance (Part 4)

This post is my thoughts on a lesson from the Beyond Freedom home study course for personal growth and life achievement. This course has been instrumental in transforming my life from stress-full to stress-FREE.

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In previous posts, I discussed my thoughts on this lesson, and last time I began working on the 6 part exercise--I only got through part 1 before my time was up! Let's see how well I do today... ;o)

2. Name the top three things you would like to change about yourself.

Wow. This is interesting. First, it says the "top" three things--that implies that most people have more than three!!!! Hahaha.

Second, it doesn't mention any category--it could be anything about yourself.

It's interesting that the first thing that popped into my head was how I look--I wish I was thinner, had a better body, had better hair, was prettier. I have always been obsessed with how I look--comparing myself to everyone I see and always coming up short. If there is one thing that I would say has held me back from achieving all I wanted to in my life, it is the fact that I have always believed I'm not pretty. As I would look at other women and what they have achieved in life, the first thing that pops into my mind is "Well, I can't do that...I'm not pretty enough." It really has plagued me as long as I can remember.

Of course, a good deal of what I don't like about myself in this area I can change--if I put in the effort.

The second thing that popped into my head as I thought about this question is, "I wish more people liked me." Again, I have always been plagued by the fact that I don't have a lot of friends, didn't get invited to parties, didn't go on a lot of dates, etc. I have thought over the years that people rarely have lukewarm feelings about me--they either love me or they hate me. I doubt that is true, but that was my perception.

And of course, if I really wanted to, this is an area I could change, too--if I put in the effort.

I learned how to be a good friend from my friend Elisa. Elisa would call me regularly just to chat, invited me to parties, or out to see things. We ended up having babies around the same time, and so it was fun to talk about our new motherhood or child rearing. Our friendship stayed alive for many years because Elisa knew instinctively how to make and keep a friend--she knew that it required effort. Because of Elisa, I realized that all those years that I complained about not having friends, not being invited places--all those years I never made the effort to be a friend to anyone else.

Now when I think about friends, I realize that it is my fault that I don't have more of them, and that if I ever wanted to have more, I know exactly what I need to do.

The third area that I would like to change is my difficulty "letting go"--I am often wound up tight...a rule follower, not a rule breaker, trying to be perfect all the time. This is what led to my near heart attack at just 37--holding everything in and taking on too much. And, of course, this has led to my difficulty making friends as well. People want to be around those who make them feel good about themselves, and I think I make people uncomfortable.

The good news is that I am already working on these three areas. Perhaps that's why they came to my mind so easily as I started this exercise.

Wow. Time's up again already. More next time.

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