Only the gentle are ever really strong

I was taking a 20 min low impact ride with Denis Morton on my Peloton this morning when I herd “Only the gentle are ever really strong.” And I love that because it takes so much more effort to be composed and calm. In a life where there is so much pressure to perform, stress to get it done, anxiety of the outcome. With all of this tension, when we can find the calm, the gentleness, that truly is the greatest strength. 

Call it awareness or mindfulness, maybe call it inner connection to self.  Whatever you want to call it, but when we’re angry and frustrated, being able to control yourself NOT to explode, to NOT to yell .... staying composed.... well yes @Denismorton I think your right.. This gentleness IS strength. 

I want to focus on being gentle with myself because I am my worst critic. I beat myself down at times for a lack of performance, for a lack of success, for not having my kids do all of their assigned homeschool work, for not keeping my house impeccably clean,  the lack of achievement but that’s not the reality

That’s not what is really happening with me.

That idea of perfection? That doesn’t exist!!!! So why do I keep thinking it’s attainable? Because social media feeds me the vision. Because media advertises this perception to us 

So at the end of the day, our inner dialogue is not of “we are strong” “we are enough”. But rather that I’m not good enough. I’m not pretty enough, I’m not worthy. 

It has taken a lot of work and strength to get over that mountain of thought to a place where I’m confident, where I know I’m enough. 

So this feeling of failure, this inner discouragement. ..... it’s not reality. Why? Because I AM have amazing success. I AM a wonderful, caring person that is helping other people.  I AM achieving what I wanted to. I AM happy and healthy. Sure, my standards of myself are of course going to be higher than other peoples standards because that’s the thoughts in MY head, there are no others there 🤪.  That’s what we do though. We are our own worst critics. 

If instead I am just gentle with myself and not beating myself up for false realities, that is where my next strength with manifest. So, to be gentle I will take appreciation in my accomplishments. Be grateful for them. Being gentle to serve me and build me up will be so much better than getting down on myself. 

Because in truth, there is nothing to get down on myself for. 

We are our own worst critics. 

For me it’s so much more than being composed (which, if I’m honest, is super hard for me, especially now). What it being gentle started for me with just being gentle with myself. Allowing myself time to process and think about things. Allowing myself not to pound the pavement and sit quietly and reflect. It was there in the quiet that I started to hear what I truly wanted.  I guess I’d say I was being gentle to let the strength show itself. 

After my low impact ride I then took a 20 min power yoga class with @denismorton. And while we were getting up from shavasana I notice his say ....  “gently finding your way.” Again this idea to be gentle with yourself. The more you practice being gentle the more strength you’ll have to be gentle easier it becomes. 

The universe wanted me to see this lesson today. This idea to be gentle. And I know exactly what it’s referring to. 

🙏 thank you —— I hear you and I will try  —- 🙏 I needed the reminder ☺️