THE ART OF SELF- APPRECIATION

We do not need other people’s opinions and appreciation to ‘be’ and rejoice in who we are in the here and now, affirms Annesha Banerjee

- Annesha Banerjee

Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, once wrote,“Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval. When one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.”

A child’s world is carefree, unfettered by the load of expectations and desires that the world awaits to gift. It becomes its own master, navigating through each moment, without any thoughts or worries about the future. It accepts itself as it is, completely and perfectly. There is no condemnation and no desire to be somebody else. This is our true state of being.

But as we grow up, we drift away from our true nature, getting trapped in the wayward and complicated ways of the world. We have to gather immense courage to come back to ourselves by accepting ourselves as we are. This acceptance of the self paves the way for self-appreciation and vice versa. Self-appreciation is paramount, and it is not just about all the good things you do and the qualities you possess but also about the potential you have. There is nothing more important than feeling good about who and what you are.

As you acknowledge yourself with appreciation, you open the door to allow more good things to come into your life. It no longer remains a question of deserving or ability; it becomes a question of allowing. We appreciate the beauty of a bud, knowing that it will mature and blossom into a flower eventually. We don’t nag or criticise it for not blooming sooner. Rather, we water it patiently each day, secure in the knowledge that a pretty flower is in the making. We are like this flower, growing through the stages, and nothing but patience and appreciation of the ‘bud self’ will help blossom our ‘flower self.’