Ann

You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go

Appreciating Ourselves

We are the greatest things that will ever happen to us. Believe it. It makes life much easier.
--Codependent No More

It is time to stop this nonsense of running around picking on ourselves.

We may have walked through much of our life apologizing for ourselves either directly or indirectly - feeling less valuable than others, believing that they know better than we do, and believing that somehow others are meant to be here and we are not.

We have a right to be here.

We have a right to be ourselves. We are here. There is a purpose, a reason, and an intention for our life. We do not have to apologize for being here or being who we are.

We are good enough, and deserving.

Others do not have our magic. We have our magic. It is in us.

It doesn't matter what we've done in our past. We all have a past, woven with mistakes, successes, and learning experiences. We have a right to our past. It is ours. It has worked to shape and form us. As we progress on this journey, we shall see how each of our experiences will be turned around and used for good.

We have already spent too much time being ashamed, being apologetic, and doubting the beauty of ourselves. Be done with it. Let it go. It is an unnecessary burden. Others have rights, but so do we. We are neither less than nor more than. We are equal. We are who we are. That is whom we were created and intended to be.

That, my friend, is a wonderful gift.

God, help me own my power to love and appreciate myself. Help me give myself validity instead of looking to others to do that.

From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie ©1990, Hazelden Foundation.

Ann

Many of us have lived our lives trying to validate who we are and yet I know that somewhere before recovery I lost sight of who I really was. Once I took time to think about my needs, my dreams, my hopes for my future and let go of the pain of the past...I discovered that stranger called "me" and grew to like her. Today I know I am valid and need nobody else to confirm that for me.

To thine own self be true, says my medallion from CoDA. To thine own self be true, indeed.

Hugs

hope213

i have lost myself along the road somewhere. i do not feel equal to others. i feel second & third & let others make me feel like crap.my recovery is my recovery & i am going to really try to be the person I want to be & feel good about myself no matter what is going on around me.thank you for this post this morning.i am important, i am...