Start at Self
Lyn T. Christian, PMP, MCC, CFCCfounder of SoulSalt Inc. 

During this season noted for gifts and giving I often face clients who, like me, have never been formally taught how to graciously give and receive. One of the secrets to brilliant gift exchange is to learn first how to give well to your own self. The quality of all our other relationships hinges on this ability.

While the concept of giving to self is simple, knowing how to do it is anything but easy. Here are some ideas of how you can gift self with both grace and abundance. I promise that if you try some of these on with sincerity and effort they will spark unimaginable rewards for you.

Invest effort into knowing what you are actually feeling and thinking when emotional situations arise. Wrap your heart around the notion that the thoughts and feelings you experience are about you, nobody else…because, they are. Accept the truth that: to be clear on what you are experiencing and to speak with clarity, humility, and sincerity is the purest form of power any of us can have. When we give our self the gift of improved vision to honestly see and say our thoughts and feelings, we are better able to hear the thoughts and feelings of others when they need us.

Tell the truth about what we need and want. When we do not ask for what we need and want, we discount our self. We deserve to treat ourselves better than this. It is both polite and appropriate to ask our self what he/she wants and needs and to listen and respond. When we honor our own needs and wants, we grow. We gain deep insight into knowing how to hear and honor the needs and wants of others.

Give self the gift of understanding what you believe in and what is most important to you . Go one step further and live fully with your beliefs and priorities leading. It feels so much better to live with conviction and wisdom than to live in confusion. When we act upon what we believe and what we say is most important , we learn to trust and take ourselves seriously. When we take ourselves seriously so do others.

When we learn to willingly laugh at ourselves and delight in our silly traits and fragilities, we begin to embrace vital aspects of being human. We accept and appreciate our nuances as gifts. When we can laugh and enjoy ourselves in this way, we can laugh with and enjoy others.

When we place value and importance on treating our own self well we see remarkable changes in the world. We are better able to stand on the solid ground called harmony because we quiet the noise inside our soul. From this quiet, solid foundation we are better able to stand by the sides of others who are both healing and whole at once. When stand with those, we concurrently expand the harmony between us all. In some small measure we heal and lift the one significant piece of this world that we have complete accountability to heal and all are gifted by our effort.

and a hearty on at that about making the season of giving more relevant and brilliant because it started with you.

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© SoulSalt, Inc.