Everywhere I go I see people crippled by a low opinion of themselves—everywhere, as though it were a communicable disease. Is that true for you? When you screw up, for example, do you feel painfully guilty? Excessive guilt—sometimes called shame—comes from an assessment that you're not worthwhile, that you must suffer if you make mistakes.
If you have a low opinion of yourself, it is ONLY because early in life you were taught by parents, teachers, and others that your mistakes made you unworthy. What you didn't realize was that such people were BLIND and therefore wrong in their judgments. They were not teaching you about YOU, but were simply expressing their displeasure that you did not meet THEIR expectations, which were driven by their own emptiness and fear. People who are empty and afraid cannot see you, only their own needs. They are blind.
We tend to keep associating with blind people, who define who we are according to our ability to satisfy their needs. But we can change all that. We can begin to tell the truth about ourselves and attract people who are interested in the truth, rather than themselves. We can find people who feel loved—who are not blind—and are capable of loving us. It is in their love that we can see a reflection of our true worth.
Replace your fear and confusion with peace and happiness.
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