Today's Meditation:

Oh, my--how much time I've spent feeling inferior to virtually everyone!  It wasn't until I grew up a bit and started doing some exploring that I found out that this is a common trait of adult children of alcoholics, and it has less to do with the superiority of other people than it does with the perceived inferiority of the person who feels inferior.  I thought everyone was better than me at everything--relationships, work, hobbies, school. . . you name it.  And if anyone ever tried to make me feel inferior, they certainly didn't have to work too hard to do so.

Fortunately, I've learned in the meantime that things such as inferiority are just a question of perception, and aren't to be given as much credence as some people would like.  So I may not be as good at baseball as he is--life goes on, and there are plenty of things that I'm much better at than he is.

When we allow others to make us feel inferior, we're giving away much of our power to live our lives fully and happily.  We're allowing others to determine how we feel about ourselves, which is something that we simply never should do.  As long as we're trying our best at all we do, we should feel fine about ourselves and not worry about how other people perceive us, our efforts, or our results.  They only see a small part of any picture, anyway.

I determined long ago not to consent to allow anyone else to belittle me, judge me unfairly, or make me feel inferior.  And in the time since I made that decision, I've learned that it truly is my choice--when I don't let it happen, it doesn't happen.  When someone tries to do so, it's very obviously a reflection of their own insecurities and not an indication of who I am or of my value as a person.  I like life much more when I don't consent to let others make me feel small and insignificant. 

Questions to consider:

What kinds of things do you allow people to make you feel?  How did you start letting them do so?

In what ways do you consent to let others make you feel inferior? 

Think of someone who sticks up for themselves in a very genuine and healthy way.  What allows them to do so?  How do they do so?  What can you learn from them?

For further thought:

Don't let the opinions of other people determine the image you have of yourself.  There is no need to feel either appreciated or understood.  Be even-minded.  What you think about yourself is everything.  What others think about you has no value at all, unless you choose to give it value.

Shantidasa

All contents © Living Life Fully, all rights reserved.