Today you readers are going to do a little activity with me. Yay! (I know, you love it!)
If you want to leave your answers in the comments, that would be great! I know you will help others with your testimony! But if they are too personal to share, then by all means, it had better go in a journal or something. I won't be offended :)
Fill this out in your head or on a piece of paper (or in my comments. That's great too!)
(Alright people, don't quit! I promise this is an uplifting exercise! I'm not trying to be gloomy)
Wait wait! But this post isn't supposed to be gloomy!
Soooo..... What I like/don't like about myself______________________________________________
Names I have called myself in the mirror (keep it PG, kids) _____________________________
What I wish I could be like______________________________________________________
What I would do if I weren't scared_______________________________________________
Now do this part honestly:
Times I have complemented myself today (hard to remember?) ______________________________
Times I have thought negatively about my situation, appearance, skills, gifts, etc today _______________
If you are anything like me (and the rest of the world) then there are a ton of things you would change about yourself, tons of opportunities you hold yourself back from because of fear, little good about you that you see, lots you wish you could have, and there are more negative thoughts about your life than there are positive.
Why is this? It's sad really.
There is so many more uplifting things you can do than point out the wrong in your life. But we do it all the time, self-consciously. When you look in the mirror, give yourself a break! Nobody is perfect!
So, now, wipe all those negative thoughts about yourself away. (Thanks Eliza. You just made me unhappy. Now what am I supposed to do?!) It might take a little work. Need some help? Watch this video: (Please, it is only like 3 minutes long, and I promise it will help change those negative feelings to positive ones)
Okay, that was a tear-jerker. But it is so true! Who has ever felt like the ugly duckling? Like no one loves him/her, like they are unusually large (I am SO there with you, bro) or ugly or untalented. The world taunts you because of your imperfections. But that is because they don't know who we will be.
So try this again:
What I like about myself_____________________________________________________________
What I can do to remind myself of my true worth (like putting a sticky note on the mirror to remind you to not let those criticizing thoughts creep up on you, but that you are a child of God) __________________
What I will do now_________________________________________________________________
Things I am grateful for, reasons I am grateful for being me____________________________________
If I were to meet Uchtdorf, what I would say to him :) ________________________________________
How I can help others realize they are swans________________________________________________
I feel like I use this topic a lot, but I think it is really important. Remember that God made you who you are, that all trials will work together for your good, and that you are a swan. Even if you feel like an ugly duckling, you truly are a swan!!
<3 Eliza
