Hi Reader,
Ask yourself this powerful question:
If I loved myself fully and deeply, what would I do?
Use your answer to influence your day, week, and life.
Acting from a place of love > from a place of stress/anger/lack.
It's time you started treating yourself as well as you do your best friend.
You are worth it.
What I'm learning/thinking about 🧠
Self-love, achievement, and my inner critic.
30 minutes ago this section was all about how choosing self-love is always the answer.
But as I sat here writing (and re-writing) sentences, I began to feel frustrated.
All the while my inner critic was berating me, saying:
It's 10:12 am and you STILL haven't sent out the newsletter?
You are lazy and wasting time.
Writing about choosing love while feeling stressed?
You are a fraud.
Those last four words are the ones that scare me the most.
As someone who makes a living helping other people improve their lives, it often feels like I have to have it all figured out.
But I don't.
And neither do you.
Each morning we get to make a conscious choice.
We can give ourselves grace and choose love despite our fumblings.
Or we can tear ourselves down.
Accusing ourselves of all the things we are most afraid of being.
Nobody can be crueler to you than yourself.
And while this masochistic self-flagellation can light a fire under your ass (read: David Goggins), it ultimately erodes your life force.
There are only so many beatings the self can take before it breaks.
Choosing love may not be the ultimate productivity hack.
It may not optimize your life for efficiency and output.
But each day you get to choose which part of you to water.
The part of you that deeply loves yourself.
Or the one that doesn't.
Quote of the week 📜
“Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator. But among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.”
— W. H. Auden
What I'm reading 📚
When I was back home in Bend, I stumbled across an old book:
Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.
It's all about relationships, communication, and understanding the opposite sex.
A little dated at times but very interesting and enjoyable so far.
Was this email forwarded to you?
Click the button below to start loving your Monday mornings.
| JOIN THE RENAISSANCE |
Sent with lots of love,
Gregory Russell Benedikt
Talk to me: hello@gregoryrussellbenedikt.com
Website: gregoryrussellbenedikt.com
Writing: Medium