U deserve Postive attention

I want to share with you a story, about me, and  the idea of  Self-esteem.. In high-school I had a teacher who taught a class called self-discovery, of course many students, wanted to take that class, much to our parents dismay. The class, dove into our relationship with our parents, siblings and ourselves. The teacher, had us tap into our creative side and she really got us thinking about who we are, and what we liked. Well, my the second semester, the teacher was getting all sorts of  complaints about what kind of class is this? The parents were skeptical, they didn't really like the thought that in their minds we weren't learning anything about ourselves. Well, let me tell you, I learned more about myself in that class, and I remember her name, and that is more than I can say about 1/2 the teachers I had in high-school good or bad. I also still have the questionaires she gave to us to give to my father and my mother, and my dad is now gone, and I treasure those answers he wrote on that paper, as if it were gold.
 All my life I have gravitated toward self-esteem authors, classes and workshops having to do with self-worth,self-love and creativity. In college I found Leo F. Buscalglia, PHD and I loved his book Living, Loving and Learning.  When I taught pre-k for over 14 years, I would always read books about self-esteem, yes, they were usually in cartoon forms of animals, but I wanted to make the point that we are all unique, we are all different, but we all still deserve postive attention.

 So then how did I end up creating a 2 week Free series... on  reconnecting to yourself? Well, I went back to school at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and I realized I like to help people, get healthy, and you can't really be healthy.. unless you look at what the school likes to call ... your primary foods... What are primary foods... they are ...relationships, career, spirtuality and pyscial activity. That includes relationships with yourself. Many people I work with are binge eaters, and they tell me that they stuff the food in because it makes them feel good. It is filling a void somewhere in their life, somewhere in their primary foods.

So If you are not aware of my series.. Here is day one..

GOOD day to you!

I am so glad you decided to dedicate the next 17 days to reconnecting with yourself.

I sent home a list of materials you may need, colored pencils or crayons...Sketch pad or paper, a camera to upload pictures and a journal or note book to answer questions and assignments.

IF you were arrrested for being kind to yourself.. would there be enough evidence to convict you?

This challenge is designed to have you really dig deeper inside. We will be doing, art, meditation and quizes... we will be writing letters and journal entries.

SELF-REFLECTION homework NEVER needs to be shared, but if you want to share you are welcome to do so.

GROUP SHARE work... is required to be done the day it is assigned and posted in the comment section of my blog http://nf1andpre-kwhisper.blogspot.com ( today's post is not up yet... so wait to see the post about self-love)

Let's start with a fun quiz... ON a scale from 1-5 5 being absolutely true and 1 being NOt at all true... label a piece of paper from 1-20 you can write the questions on the line next to the number or just 1-5 as your answer.

1. I often feel happy and satisfied for no particular reason

2. I live in the moment.

3. I feel alive, vital, and energetic.

4. LIfe is a great adventure for me.

5. I experience a deep sense of inner peach and well-being.

6. I don't let bad situations keep me down.

7. I am enthusiastic about the things I do.

8. Most days I have an experience of laughter or joy.

9. I trust that this is a friendly universe.

10.I look for the gift or the lesson in everything that happens.\

11. I am able to let go and forgive.

12. I feel love for myself.

13. I look for the good in every person.

14. I change the things I can and accept the things I can't change.

15. I don't blame others or complain.

16. I surround myself with people who support me.

17. My negative thoughts don't overshadow me.

18. I feel a general sense of gratitude.

19. I feel connected to something bigger than myself.

20. I feel inspired by a sense of purpose in my life.

Scoring.....

If your score is 80-100 : to a great degree .. you are happy.. for no reason.. and that is good.

If your score is 60-79:You have a good measure of being happy for no reason....but it needs work.

If your score is 40-59 You have glimpses of being happy for no reason...but you need more happiness.

If your score is under 40- you have little experience with being happy for no reasons, and I hope to be able to help with this.

You can always move toward being more happy. WE will talk about Happiness hapbits.. during this course.

Here is a poem I want to share with you by Christine

Many of us say that we want love

we spend tons of energy

sometimes even money

on trying to find it

but then I wonder

Are we really open to receiving it

Once it shows up on our doorstep

or do we actually shut the door

on the very thing we want most

Does your heart open wide when love knocks on your door?

Or does your heart contract, recoil and pull back

Peer out the window, want to open the door so badly, but is too afraid

Of what would happen if it let love in again?

Does your heart rush in with open arms to find and embrace connection in this world

Expecting to receive love back

Knowing that love is everywhere when you know where to look

And when your heart is open to receive it?

Or is your heart cautious, having been hurt before,

So it doesn't let itself open too wide or let too many people in

Instead of skipping through life freely and joyfully

is your heart walking safely and securely never risking to much?

It's ok you know,

We've all been hurt

We've all had our innocent pure loving hearts smacked around

Stepped on

Looked over

Rejected

Abandoned

And as a result,

You may have built big walls around your heart

So you'd never be hurt again

Or you may have taken all the walls down

Hoping you'd be loved again, if you just gave more of yourself away.

And although you were doing what you needed to do

To protect yourself at the time

The truth is that what actually protects you most is not walls or the giveign of youself away,

the biggest protection you have in life is love.

But love can only protect you if you let it in.

Love can only serve you if you let it in.

All Love needs is permission to open the door of your heart again.

Group share work:

Answer this question: What would you like to be different in your relationship with yourself, and is a result in your life?

I also want you to do your self-reflection work...

GIVE Yourself permission to let the little girl inside you pick up a crayon or colored pencil with out judgment of your creative abilities, including the permission to draw and color outside the lines.

IN the middle of a piece of paper draw a small heart.. about penny size. write self love inside. THen draw lines to split the entire page into four quadrants, and draw four small circles one in each quadrant. Draw 4 spokes coming off each circle. Name the 4 circles. Media and Society, friends and peeers, parents and relatives, Education and Religion.

Write up to 4 beliefs about self-love that each of these groups of people have told you, showed you, or seemed to believe based on how they lived or spoke.

Keep in mind that self-love and loving yourself proabley weren't often used, but that people likely expressed judgement about the attitutes and opinions that self-love and loving yourself include, which you unknowingly picked up in your subconcious. write the beliefs on the spokes.

examples: taking care of oneself and one's needs,expressing oneself fully, syaing god things about oneself, being in romantic relationships, trusting your inner wisdom, having high self-esteem and self worth.

See you here tomorrow... for a drawing... exercise.

LOve,

LisaRenee

feel free to comment below and or visit me at www.facebook.com/fountainofhealthforplanthappypeople

 

Come back tomorrow for Day 2 in my FREE series.. in reconnecting with yourself.