THE SACRED ART OF SELF-APPROVAL

Liberating yourself from the need to please.
Friends, Let’s have a heart-to-heart. Just between you and me…
Ask yourself these questions to know if you’re addicted to approval from others:
• Do I have trouble recognizing my own needs?
• Do I say yes when I really want to say no?
• Am I overly concerned about what others think of me?
• Does my happiness depend on people and things outside of me?
• Do I find it difficult to express my opinions?

If your answer is yes to these questions, you may be suffering from approval addiction. It often stems from a lack of self-esteem and self-love.
As humans on Earth, we are born into collective programming through family, society, culture, education, religion, and other systems that instills the belief that we are not good enough or worthy. From childhood, we are introduced to the game of reward and punishment. Love becomes conditional. We are rewarded for doing, not for simply being. Productivity and service to others are emphasized, while connection to our own wisdom is neglected.

So we learn to define our worth by what others think of us. We chase accomplishments but feel unsatisfied without validation. We strive to become someone else’s idea of success and become approval addicts. This rat race robs us of peace of mind, pushing us into constant competition and burnout. We neglect our beautiful bodies, our mental and spiritual well-being. Our body and mind suffer enormously.

The truth is:
We are not our accomplishments. We are not what we do for money.
Deep satisfaction and meaningful validation cannot come from anyone or anything outside of us. It comes from connecting with our true self, acknowledging our presence, and aligning with the beauty and wisdom we were born with.

All fears stem from the belief that we are unworthy. The major fears we succumb to are:
I am unworthy.  I am powerless. The world is not a safe place. Love always brings pain.

Remember: You are not living a horror story, you just accepted one. As long as you feel like a victim, you are powerless to change the story. But no matter what the story is, you are a co-creator. The quantum model of the universe says this is a participatory universe, we are required to participate consciously.

Approval addiction does not serve you. It pulls you down.
Recovery begins when you take responsibility and let go of the belief that your value depends on others’ approval.
Acknowledge and accept this fear. Being in the present moment is a powerful place of transformation. Here, you can discern your true identity and understand your own desires. You’ll recognize the false self that has pressured you to seek value through achievement.
Transformation happens only when you stop running from fear and allow yourself to feel it fully in the now moment. That’s where fear turns into love. The choice you make now creates a beautiful tomorrow.
When you start respecting and accepting yourself, you become genuine, authentic, and benevolent.

Replace your effort to please others with a dedication to self-care and reconnection to your Divine Self—the part of you that’s been ignored and treated unkindly. You don’t need others to approve of you. You are the best person to approve yourself.
Approve yourself for: The good job you’ve done, for the love that you are, for your kind heart, for all the things you do, for simply existing on this planet at this time. You are truly an amazing work of creation. Simply acknowledge and approve this grand being that you are. You are worthy, you are Divine having a physical experience.  Anchor yourself to the Divine love within. It is your birthright.

A simple meditation to anchor yourself to your own Divinity.  
INNER CHILD MEDITATION
Practice this meditation daily, as often as you can:
1. Switch off your gadgets. Get into stillness. Close your eyes. Notice your breathing. (Breath is life, and life is the Source.) Place your hand on your heart and imagine breathing in and out through your heart.
2. See your heart glow like a radiant sun, the sun of Divine Love within you.
3. Imagine your inner child, about 4 or 5 years old, standing in front of you—tired, lonely, and heartbroken. This child, named “Fear,” has struggled all your life to protect you and ensure your survival.
4. Lift this child to your lap. Hold them close to your heart as you continue breathing through your heart.
5. Speak from your heart:
“I’m so sorry I abandoned you all these years. I didn’t know any other way. Please forgive me. Thank you for loving me and looking after me. I now realize the truth—I will never abandon or deny you again. You and I are together forever. We are home. We are safe. I love you. I thank you. I respect you.”
6. Repeat:
“I love you. I thank you.”
Say it as many times as your heart guides you. Stay in this sacred space as long as you can.
As you continue this practice, the light of Source within you transforms fear into love.

The meaning of your life can only be derived from within, through your dedication to do the inner work. Only you can truly love, approve, and appreciate yourself. No one else can do this for you.

You are a grand being, an important part of this planet. By loving and approving of yourself, you free yourself from dependence on others’ opinions. You become your own powerful guiding light.

What others think of you is not your business.
Living your life from the joy within, awakening into a responsible, capable, loving, harmonious, and happy human – this is absolutely your business.
Blessings!
Premlatha Rajkumar
https://awakenlovenjoy.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@lattha9100

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