I Am a Perfectly Imperfect Human Being

I ran across this quote by Jackson Kiddard today and I loved the message of complete self-acceptance as well as the acceptance of others.  We are all perfectly imperfect. What if we could just embrace our imperfections as well as those of others? Wouldn't we be much happier?

His full quote reads:

"Today I affirm that there is nothing in me but love.
This love comes from total acceptance of myself
and the understanding that I am a perfectly imperfect human being.
I will walk through today and allow myself to fully express my perfection.
I realize that all my "faults" are actually the Universe's unique way of expressing itself through me.
I let go of self judgment and any projected judgments of others that I have chosen to believe
and finally allow myself to just be what I truly am:  infinite.
As this is true for me, so it is true for all other beings on the planet.
I will choose to accept everyone in my life with the same radical acceptance I have for myself
knowing that we are all perfectly imperfect human beings simply doing the best we can.
And so it is."

~Jackson Kiddard 



Manuela loves helping others bring more happiness into their lives!  You can visit Manuela's Website for Personal Success Coaching and check out her upcoming “Secrets to Happiness” Workshop!
 

Is The Life You Are Building Big Enough To Engage And Express Who You Are?

Alright, it's review time for me! I am taking part in Steve Mitten's Mentorship program for coaches and on our last call we were asked to review how far we have come up until now. I feel like I have made some good progress, but one of the questions he asked made me stop and think for a bit. The question was: “Is the business you are building big enough to engage and express who you are?”

And I thought that was a really excellent question we can all apply not just to work, but to our life: "Is the life you are building big enough to engage and express who you are?"

Yes, I have been building my life over the last few years to include many things I love: Dancing jazz, tap, and hip hop to express who I am, performing on stage to take on different characters and share my joy, traveling to discover new areas, having a puppy to share my love with, taking pictures to capture and share the beauty all around us, leading workshops and coaching people who are committed to personal growth, and being able to share all of this with my wonderful boyfriend.

However, as I think about the question, there are more parts of me that want expression.  I want to sing more and act more to express myself in different ways. I want to have more humor in my life and laugh more. I want to create more customized personal growth experiences for people, like retreats and year-long programs to impact their lives more. I want to work with like-minded people more (one thing I miss about working in a corporation is being on the same team with others and working toward a common goal).
The great thing is that once we know what we really want more of, we can go out and create it for ourselves!
Is the life you are building big enough to engage and express who you are?

What is your heart telling you? What part of you wants more expression? What ideas hold the most excitement for you?

Pick an area and do something that brings you more joy, excitement or fulfillment. You really deserve it! And by doing so, you can share your happy energy with others!

It can be just a small step: For example, I just joined Instagram and am finding new joy in sharing more pictures with others.

Or a bigger one: I really do want to organize a retreat for women to take care of themselves and rejuvenate.

What's your next step? =)


Manuela helps professional women reduce their stress and regain balance, so they can lead more enjoyable lives. You can visit Manuela's Website for Professional Life Coaching and Personal Growth Workshops.

What Is A True Friend?

“I really have a hard time being authentic with my friends,” one of my clients told me the other day. “It seems like all they are interested in is the happy and excited “me.” But I am not happy all the time. I get stressed, too, and sometimes I am sad and frustrated. I just don’t feel like I can show that part of myself.”

“There was a time when I was going through a difficult time, and I really needed support, but I noticed that my friends seemed to all pull back and after a while they did not talk to me anymore. I couldn’t figure out what was going on, so I finally asked one of them. She told me that I had become so negative, I wasn’t fun to be around anymore. I hadn’t even noticed that I had become that way. I just wish somebody had told me earlier, rather everybody just disappearing. Isn’t that what friends are for – telling you the truth?”

One of the things that I have learned on my journey of life so far is that we cannot go it alone. We need support along the way. And friends are a great source of support. However, how much support are you supposed to provide as a friend? Does being a friend mean that you patiently listen to endless complaints? Or does it mean that you suppress what you are really feeling, in order to be considerate to your friends?

We need to take responsibility on both sides. I am a strong believer in authenticity. We need to be true to ourselves in order to lead fulfilling lives. And part of that means being able to express how we feel and share what we are going through. However, it is not fair to our friends to burden them with all of our problems every time we talk to them. This is where self-responsibility comes in. 

If you know that you are dealing with some serious issues or have been unhappy for quite some time, you need to get help from a professional. You wouldn’t run to your friend every time you had an issue with your physical health, expecting them to fix it, would you? And if you are the friend on the receiving end, you can help by encouraging them to get the professional support they need, whether it’s through a therapist, a support group, a coach, or a counselor. They may not even realize that they have become so unhappy or negative, and an outside perspective can really help them. It is ok for you to take care of yourself by setting boundaries to how much emotional support you are able to provide.  A true friend will understand.

So yes, we can be ourselves and share who we are, including our “flaws” and our not-so-happy emotions. But let’s not abuse that privilege. Let’s take responsibility for getting help to be emotionally healthy, so we can come to our friendships full, ready to share our love and caring, rather than arriving empty, expecting the other person to fill us up.  

We need to take care of ourselves first, so we can be there for others.      

Manuela helps professional women reduce their stress and regain balance, so they can lead more enjoyable lives. You can visit Manuela's Website for Professional Life Coaching and Personal Growth Workshops.