Discovering how many limiting and fearful thoughts I had about myself and life has been one of the most surprising and liberating aspects of the inner work I’ve done.
Yes, I was aware that I wasn’t showering myself with compliments all day every day. I knew I was critical, demanding, perfectionist. But it wasn’t until I started really investigating these judgemental narratives that I realised how many layers upon layers of them there were, and how harsh they were.
In the process of uncoiling myself from them I discovered that:
a) No one is harsher on ourselves than we are. In the words of Byron Katie, and I paraphrase, reality is always kinder than our thoughts about it. And this goes the other way round, too—you’re so much more than your best thought about yourself.
b) There’s such lightness and flow on the other side of the limiting thoughts. Because that’s where we align with the truth of who we are, and truth feels good. And so much better than lies.