Steph's Ripples

I've been re-reading the book "The Courage to be Disliked" by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. The first time I read it, it made sense. I'm now reading it again to assimilate more of the teachings. It's been a revealing read. I'm thoroughly engrossed and amazed with this new perception of living. When you think about it, life in itself is simple. Put people in it and then it suddenly gets complicated. We start comparing, feeling we're not good enough, judging and criticising to make ourselves feel better. We start to basically run by how other people perceive us.  Here's the deal though:  We fail to live by living people's lives. We forego who we are, to the detriment of others. We care too much about others to care about ourselves (note this is not about selfishness or being self-absorbed).  We fail to realise that this is not Living, but existing.  I spent a lot of time seeking validation, pleasing people, doing what I was told to m...

I spent a lot of time wishing that I was someone else. I want to be more of this and that. I didn't find anything wrong in this. It came the time when I realised how silly this was. It was not unreasonable, but still it was wishful thinking. The truth is that I was not accepting myself. I was not okay with who I was. I mean no one is perfect. We're all full of flaws, but instead of embracing all the qualities I had, I was focused on things I lacked. Obviously, this made me unhappy and I was seeking something that I don't even truly wish for. This is because my lack made up for excuses.  It's humbling to understand that, in the end, you've got only you. You've got to love yourself the way you are, be authentic, be You through and through. It's not easy, but I think when we embrace who we are, life becomes seemingly better. You are able to see life in a different eye. It changes your perspective. It makes you become more open. Open to everything. Acce...