Be Gentle With Self

"First principle: never to let one's self be beaten down by persons or by events." - Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics

How many times have I heard this or something very similar to it? I've lost count. It took me a long time to realize that beating myself up was just as bad as letting people or circumstances do the same thing.  I had to learn to put the "stick" away and stop beating myself up for my mistakes and/or "bad" choices. I was not getting the results I wanted so something had to change.

I used to be that person who loved to tell others just how difficult my life really was. Every crisis simply added to my repertoire of chaos and distress. The theme for my life story could have been "Woe Is She". At some point, I got tired of being a victim of everything and everyone. I needed to change my reactions to life's events and that's exactly what I did. Of course, I didn't do this on my own. Some wonderful women shared their experience with me and I took their suggestions.

I do not feel the need to beat myself up anymore. I am human and I accept that. Being human means I am not perfect, nor will I ever be. Once I accepted myself just as I was, it got easier for me to be gentle with myself. Now I treat myself with the same loving care that I show to any of my friends. People and events do not have power over me anymore. Life is good today and I am grateful. Thank you God!