A simple look in the mirror to really see will reveal to you how you view yourself, if you pay attention. This view may make you feel good, great, terrible, or unimpressed. Only you will know for sure what you think, but how you feel affects others. Both thinking and feeling are connected in this way. This is not a new idea, but I offer more.
I grew up learning that it was not ok to be proud of myself, that I was my heritage, my father, a product of certain circumstances, and when treated well, deserving. When not, then also not. My psychology was no different from that of others, and sometimes I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror and felt trapped. Through trial and error and experience I changed.
How we feel about ourselves when we look in the mirror is a form of feedback. If we don’t like the feedback, we can change the way we choose to look at ourselves and re-program. But if this conditioning is based on delusion, we will certainly become delusional through practice. It may be a harder path to follow but making real changes to support and genuinely love this person is possible with effort through intimate knowledge and effort led support.
Being positive was something I thought of along the lines of “fake it till you make it.” I don’t really like anything fake, so I let go of the delusion of positivity a long time ago. However, in 2005 I discovered a school of positive Aikido that taught positive to mean something different. Positive meant to move forward upon the first indication of a threat and face things confidently with skills gained from practice. We had to practice hard and if the technique didn’t work, repeat the training until it worked reliably. Here, positivity was acquired through repetitive practice. Over time, the level of threat and opponents increased, but the approach was the same. I suggest that you look at SELF-CARE this way.
Also, in Aikido, the idea of mirroring is used to influence the reaction of an opponent. By reading and interpreting the energy of a potential adversary, we can influence the way a situation will progress by taking responsibility for our posture, breathing, and other signals of intentions. Self-control and mirroring energy toward others are subtle but powerful. Body language, tone of voice, eye contact, method of dress, etc. are also ways we mirror our internal experience outward which has a corresponding effect. Feedback follows our ways.
The mirror provides feedback, but so does life in general. The way we approach work, relationships, health, and the use of our resources is reflected in us and only we know if this feedback agrees with our expectations. Life certainly is not fair, but can we say with absolute honesty that our actions do not influence what life is reflecting at us? Reflect.
SELF-CARE is about using the feedback of life without judgment, opinion, ego, or false identity. In using the tools that are outlined in these pages, your intuition will tell you that these are genuine methods that work. Discipline and consistency will reveal the extent to which you will benefit. This is all original content and has been proven to work effectively.