Carpe Diem Step 1: Say Nice Things to Yourself
If you were brought up the same way I was—being polite and well-behaved—probably one of the things you were taught was the importance of respecting others. We are taught to love others. We are taught to respect others and to say nice things to them. There is nothing wrong with respecting others; on the contrary, it is a value that is extremely important. Yet there is something equally essential: learning to love yourself as much as you love and respect others.
A good start to loving yourself is learning to say nice things to yourself. Does this sound hard? Don’t worry if it does. At 46, I am still figuring out life. The way I see it, we are all making our way through this journey together. Whether you are twenty years old or sixty years old, if you admit that you are still figuring life out, that makes two of us—and most probably, many others feel the same way even if they do not say so.
Yet what I am writing about today has been tried and tested in my own life, and because it helped me, I am sharing it with you. Perhaps these words might help or inspire you too. Just like builders, let us start together by constructing a beautiful cathedral that represents us. As tools, I suggest that you get a diary and a pen. Let us start by digging our foundations, which are made up of our internal dialogue. Through this article, I would like us to focus on the internal dialogue that starts when we begin the day, when we look at ourselves in the mirror, and that continues throughout the day: when we make a mistake, when we apologise, and when someone compliments us.
