Lessons of Kindness, Self-Awareness, and Acceptance

Who were you, before the world told you who you should be??? 

I never intended to show this video to anyone!

It’s been on my phone for nearly a year. Tucked away in my photo library, somewhere between pictures of my dogs, videos of hikes in the Adirondack Mountains, and random pics of my vegetable garden.

What seemingly once appeared a solemn reminder of  how lonely I was in a 10+ year relationship that had since run its course, has now metamorphosized metaphorically into a homage to the child within. The child within all of us, before the world told us who we should be.

Years ago, I would have been embarrassed by my childlike behavior. I would have critiqued the tone of my voice and the fact that I incorrectly identified the toad as a frog. I would have worried what other people thought…what they would say.

“Grown women don’t play with toads, and they certainly don’t use them to teach dogs lessons on ‘acceptance’. That’s crazy.”

To that I say… “Then, call me crazy. Makes no difference to me.”

I didn’t used to be able to say that. And, certainly, I never would have shared this video publicly. Instead, I would have let the potential (negative) opinion of others limit how I chose to experience my life. I would have, inadvertently, disregarded the enormous value of the poignant message within the video….and, I would have completely missed the opportunity to show gratitude for the child within. The child within all of us, before the world told us who we should be.

Worrying about what other people think makes their opinion more important than our own.  It’s a learned behavior. We weren’t born knowing what is and is not “acceptable”. We also weren’t born with our own prejudices, insecurities, or self-limiting beliefs. These are also learned behaviors.  Learned behaviors that, as adults, we wake up each day choosing to believe…until we choose otherwise.  

Learning to tap into “who I was before the world told me who I was supposed to be”, has brought a new perspective of my unique strength and abilities as a leader, greater awareness of the importance for making time for playfulness and creativity and, an increased capacity to love myself, who I’m with, and what I do; genuinely enjoying life, as it is, in the moment.

Today, I am thankful for the little girl inside of me that still likes to pick up toads; the little girl that teaches lessons of kindness, self-awareness, and acceptance to her dogs. I’m grateful for her vulnerability, strength, and courage to be who she is…. in the same world that tried to tell her not to be.

“The most fortunate are those who have a wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder and even ecstasy.”

Abraham Maslow (April 1, 1908 – June 8, 1970)