ThePeopleAlchemist Edit: Make self-appreciation a habit – Be your best self – #SmashYourCeiling, change starts from within -Business & Lifestyle Experimentation for #TheWomanAlchemist

Hello and welcome back!

Self-reflection isn’t easy. And if it was, more people would be doing it.

That is why it is essential that we turn our lessons into habits. We are creatures of habit and 95% of our decisions are made without using our conscious mind. This happens in a millisecond with our subconscious minds, driven by routine and automatisms.

We need to establish self-appreciation as a habit – and as said in our previous blog that dispelling negative thoughts must occur. However, to fill this ‘gap of sorts’ when getting rid of these negative thoughts, one must insert self-appreciating alternatives.

You must re-label upsetting thoughts, but this is just one small step towards creating a routine that involves self-appreciation habits.

So how do you create such habits?

Let’s have a look, shall we?

Three self-appreciation habits for beginners

Number One: FORGIVE YOURSELF!

The biggest adversary that we face in our lives is undoubtedly ourselves. We hold ourselves back by the things that we cannot let go of as well as things that have already happened and that we cannot change. It can be a small mistake, which in our minds, has grown to a very large mountain. It can be some choices that we made when we were still young and learning. It can even be a conversation that has stayed with us for years, evolving into something truly toxic.

To overcome this is not easy. It begins with step number one: Forgiveness. Begin on the inside – that is by forgiving yourself.  You must enter a forgiving state.

Number two: Turn your self-criticism into self-compassion

You may think that I just said that above, and you are right, I have. I can’t stress enough just how important this step is towards creating self-appreciation habits.

Guy Winch speaks more on this subject here

Number three: Accept compliments

How often were you complimented and you either didn’t believe the compliment or it didn’t seem to matter to you? When last have you taken a compliment in your stride? We have a brain that is biased in a negative way. Due to this, we tend to remember the ‘bad’ much more than the ‘good’ that is said to us.

We must make the acceptance of compliments a habit. And at the same time, we must be more willing to compliment others – as this will encourage us to accept compliments that come our way.

To make this habit takes practice and as I said before, writing down even simple compliments can make a world of difference. When you doubt yourself or your abilities, those written compliments can help change your negative space and turn it into a positive one. So, take out your journal and look at when you’ve last written something positive about yourself.

If it was today, great!

If it was yesterday, that’s good!

If you haven’t yet, well, now is the perfect time to start!

Happy writing x