When we accept ourselves unconditionally we are loving ourselves completely. To love all facets of who we are, is to accept our  whole being,  our spirit begins to thrive and we can have the realisation we are made perfectly imperfect. This sets the path, for being able to also show more compassion and  love to others and their imperfections.  Creating more fulfilling relationships that we can treasure and have more respect and admiration for our own work. Our imperfections are part of our mental and spiritual growth. 

"Nurture, nourish and cherish that person whom you will have to live with for the rest of your life,  yourself."

 

Honouring and Serving,
Simran K. Rattan MD
Content support Maria Peach

Self acceptance is vital to loving ourselves in completeness. Unconditional self acceptance is understanding and acknowledging we all make mistakes, but most importantly, not letting our mistakes define us. 

Here are some tips on how to work with our imperfections:

Write down a list of what bothers you about yourself. See if somewhere in your life this trait has served a good purpose or created a positive outcome for you or others that is not harmful.

Explore 2 or 3 traits and try and understand their origins. When did you first notice this trait became an issue? Can you find a source for this trait. Did you have a heartbreaking relationship that made you become less trustful of others? Did you feel unworthy as a child? We then realise many of our traits were built over a lifetime and are possible to shed. 

Work on forgiving yourself for seemingly not so good behaviours that have been infringing on others and your own life. Take some time to be self compassionate. The same...

No personality is perfect, but we have perfectly imperfect personalities. We need to be mindful that our human spirit is perfect and whole and we have been given a human body in which to live and express ourselves. Some of our greatest strengths are also our greatest weaknesses. 

For example, a person may be friendly and welcoming. This is a beautiful trait and quality to have. In a world of personality conflicts, this can also be a weakness, because  that same person may be afraid to speak up, or it can result in being nice even when we don’t want to be, which can compromise our authenticity.

A person may be very well organised that is conducive and a necessity to keeping organisations, households and work places functional. However if not balanced with flexibility it can be too rigid and not adaptable to unexpected situations or events. 

We may have trust issues and find it difficult to get close to people, yet at the same time, this serves to cultivate...

There are many reasons imperfections scare us:

* we fear our imperfections will push people away

* we don't know how to change them, or improve them

* we worry people will take advantage of our weaknesses

* our beliefs about ourselves are too ingrained to shift our way of thinking

Honouring and Serving,
Simran K. Rattan MD
Content support Maria Peach

Have there been times in your life when you are afraid to do something because you worry about doing it perfectly?

• Do you keep people away for fear of them knowing your imperfections?
• Do you wish they would go away?
• Do you sometimes struggle to know how to deal with imperfections?

We all have imperfections as humans and struggle to manage these. It can create resistance to leading fulfilling lives. Our constant fretting about what we perceive to be wrong with us, can be debilitating and stunt our growth, with too much focus on our imperfections only.

What we can lose sight of, is that some of our deepest insecurities and strengths are found in our imperfections simultaneously. Once we understand this, we begin to accept ourselves completely and reach the realisation, it is  our acceptance of ourselves that allows us to move forward and grow spiritually. 

Honouring and Serving,
Simran K. Rattan MD
Content support Maria Peach