Day #80 in A Year of Positivity

“Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.” – Roy T. Bennett

Greetings, everyone! I’m excited to be here with you on Day #80 in A Year of Positivity! The quote I selected for today’s daily dose of positivity is, “Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down,” by Roy T. Bennett.

This is a pretty amazing quote because it’s really versatile, and it speaks truth. What can weigh down our spirits, though? I would say judgment and opinions from others, abuse (emotional, mental, physical, and sexual), the mistakes and failures that we’ve made, self-criticism and self-doubt, and even some life events holding us back can bring down our spirits. These scenarios all have the potential to inflict equal harm on one’s self-esteem and self-worth, and can lead our lives on an even darker path.

Self-esteem and self-worth is a very important factor in how we see ourselves as people, as well as how we see ourselves in this world. If our self-esteem and self-worth is low, then we’re likely to be beating ourselves up inside, it can be hard to dig ourselves out of this hole. When we struggle in these things, we feel unworthy of love and joy, peace and good fortunes, and everything in between that’s just as beautiful and amazing. According to Psych Central, “our low self-esteem can get us to make self-destructive decisions such as tolerating mistreatment or harming ourselves (by using drugs, becoming promiscuous, developing eating disorders or indulging in cosmetic surgery), or harming others (bullying, cheating) in an effort either to make others love us or to numb us to the pain of our own worthlessness.”

As for the good side to self-esteem, according to Psychology Says, high self-esteem rewards us with a few good healthy benefits, 10 actually. They are:

It boosts self-confidence in pretty much anything they do, and it’s a great defense mechanism against stress and depression.
It increases ability to forgive others without resentment along with forgiving ourselves.
It facilitates growth of personal skills through challenging goals that enhance our abilities.
Individuals with high self-esteem tend to lead healthier lives and avoid overindulgences.
Supports different coping methods to face problems head on with great confidence.
Improves mental health.
Leads us to believe that we’re truly capable of accomplishing better things in life, and we’ll do our best to achieve them.
Helps us to assume our responsibilities with an understanding that it’s not enough to be able to fulfill our obligations, but to also do them well.
Improves our interpersonal relationships.
Tends to lead us through decisions in a more engaged and secure manner.

It’s interesting to me that high and low self-esteem are extreme polar opposites, though it also stands to show exactly how one’s life path really may end up. It all comes down to self-esteem and where we value ourselves in our self-worth. This is exactly why I’ve chosen Roy’s quote for today, because it’s so, so, so extremely imperative that we accept ourselves, that we love ourselves, and that we always keep moving forward.

I know firsthand that it’s not at all an easy thing to do. I used to have extremely low self-esteem. Because of that, I tolerated being mistreated, and I’ve beaten myself up so bad that I refused to allow myself some incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, even believed I didn’t deserve all the good people that are in my life. It’s not a good place to be in, and it’s an extremely hard hole to dig out of, but I’m telling you it’s worth every second of the climb!

If today’s quote speaks to you, then go ahead and let it consume you. Start your day right, sunshine, and smile at yourself in the mirror. No matter what hell or high water has come to you from wherever in your life, you’re still here, and that’s truly saying something! So, smile and be kind to yourself. Tell your mirror self this quote, or whatever affirmations speak loudly to you, just for a few minutes. Then, turn to your day with a smile and every intention to overcome whatever’s coming your way!