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Zorba the
Greek was said to have described himself as "the whole
catastrophe." The truth is, we're all the whole
catastrophe, only we wish that we weren't. We deny the
parts of ourselves that we deem unacceptable rather than
accepting the fact that we're all less than perfect.
One of
the reasons it's important to accept all aspects of yourself is
that it allows you to be easier on yourself, more
compassionate. When you act or feel insecure, rather than
pretending to be "together," you can open to the truth
and say to yourself, "I'm feeling a little frightened and
that's okay." If you're feeling a little jealous,
greedy, or angry, rather than deny or bury your feelings, you
can open up to them, which helps you move through them quickly
and grow beyond them. When you no longer think of your
negative feelings as a big deal, or as something to fear, you
will no longer be as frightened by them. When you open to
the totality of your being you no longer have to pretend that
your life is perfect, or even hope that it will be.
Instead you can accept yourself as you are, right now.
When you
acknowledge the less than perfect parts of yourself, something
magical begins to happen. Along with the negative, you'll
also begin to notice the positive, the wonderful aspects of
yourself that you may not have given yourself credit for, or
perhaps even been aware of. You'll notice that while you
may, at times, act with self-interest in mind, at other times
you're incredibly selfless.
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Sometimes you may act insecure
or frightened, but most often you are courageous. While
you can certainly get uptight, you can also be quite relaxed.
Opening
to the totality of your being is like saying to yourself,
"I may not be perfect, but I'm okay just the way I
am." When negative characteristics arise you can
begin to recognize them as part of a bigger picture.
Rather than judging and evaluating yourself simply because
you're human, see if you can treat yourself with loving-kindness
and great acceptance. You may indeed be "the whole
catastrophe," but you can relax about it. So are the
rest of us.
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