I approve of myself and all is well.
Over the last year, I’ve read so many “self-help” books I planned on making a Top 6 list of the ones that helped me the most, but a month ago I couldn’t tell you what I’d put at number one.
This is number one.
I Am Willing to Change
2018 wasn’t an overall “good” year. Sure, good things happened, but I don’t feel like I got anywhere with anything…until I read this book…in the middle of December. Yeah, gotta love it coming in at the last minute.
I don’t want to get into everything bad that happened last year. There was a bad depressive state I was stuck in from July to December, my pap passed away, and constant rejections from book agents. I didn’t feel good about myself, work, or succeeding.
*this is not an ad* But I did sign up for counseling on Betterhelp.com and seriously recommend it to anyone who’s never been to therapy and have trouble speaking their feelings.
Anyway, because I got the help I was recommended plenty of self-help books…this wasn’t one of them, but because I was searching for them this showed up under “recommended” and that was pretty much it.
I am grateful to the Universe for helping me find it.
I Am Changing
This isn’t a book you can read in one sitting and realize everything wrong with your life. When you start you’ll realize it’s a commitment that could take months or years, especially years if you want the change to last, then the change will start.
The basic premise surrounds self-love, something I have always lacked. I only accepted myself when I was a size zero and had a boyfriend. This is during the regrettable years if anyone read my Twilight Phase post.
The book is sectioned into four parts: Introduction, A Session with Louise, Putting These Ideas to Work, and the Conclusion. If it were any other book I’d probably get it done in a day or two because it’s not a long read, but it includes exercises everyone should give a try.
The first part introduces you to the book, what it’s going to take you through, and where you’ll be in the end. Again, it lets you know this is about learning to love and accept yourself. The second part gets more into the problems that led you to hate yourself and your life, which also involves the exercises.
The third is action and how you can improve daily and the last is about the author, Louise Hay, and her personal life along with an afterword.
I approve of myself.
What helps get me into one of these “self-help” books is whether religion is a big topic. If you are religious then that’s great, but I’m not. I’m not part of any religion and my belief is just in the Universe. Louise doesn’t force you to believe in anything you don’t, hell you may not even know what you believe in before you read and that’s okay. This more about your mental affirmations and what you say to yourself daily and how, by changing it, you can change your life.
But if you do believe in something then you can use that when saying your daily affirmations. Although I’m not religious, I have been getting more into crystal healing, nothing big, but just as something to help me get through rough days.
Overall
The hardest part, for me, was the forgiveness. Not only does she ask you to forgive others for what they might’ve said or done to you in the past to make you think of yourself as too fat or not worthy, but yourself.
You may think, “Well yeah, I’ve heard/tried that before,” but she gives you the tools, hell all the affirmations you need, to get there. It’s big on the Law of Attraction, which I’ve been trying to use more but wasn’t sure where to start.
One thing I’ve been doing is saying, “I approve of myself,” as many times a day as I can…this was also after the forgiving part. Since reading the book I can honestly say I will say it every day and honestly, I feel better about myself. And you may not buy into any of it, but if you’re in a funk or need help loving yourself, it won’t hurt to try.
Quibbles and Scribbles 