Love Anyway

by

Do you ever find yourself in a cycle of wanting to do something healthy for yourself, committing to do it, falling short of your ideals, beating yourself up for not following through, and then repeating the whole thing? If you have, you’re not alone! This is a fairly common story for many people.

Oftentimes we double down. We think that if we can just be mean enough, we will motivate ourselves to the goal! If I can hate my body enough, I will rise to the challenge of transforming it into something I can love! If I shame myself for not going to yoga, then I will be motivated to go regularly! We berate ourselves for not following through, call ourselves weak willed, loser, and lazy, heaping all sorts of negative energy onto the self. 

It may sound crazy, but humans do this ALL the time!

Shame is not a great motivator. Shame is heavy, and miserable to carry. Anyone would feel depressed and unmotivated under its weight. Then when it’s time to follow through with our intentions, we feel unmotivated by our own reinforced thoughts.  

So how do we break the cycle so we finally do the thing(s) we want to do?

We break the cycle by learning what Life University is teaching. The assignments on our soul’s syllabus are delivered repeatedly until we integrate the lesson. We may feel life is slamming us with repeated failures if we don’t recognize the pattern, and look for the teaching.

Life is not trying to teach us that we suck, and never do what we say we will. Life is asking us to be kind to ourselves even when we perceive that we have come up short.

What if Life makes us feel like not following through, so we have the opportunity to not beat ourselves up?  What if the lesson is to love ourselves anyway?  

What if I just decide not to go to yoga, and enjoy an uplifting morning in the sunshine in my garden?  What if I choose not to follow through, and love myself anyway?

Love anyway. Life is asking us to love anyway. When we fall short of our own intentions, we can love ourselves anyway! When others fall short of our hopes or expectations, we can love them anyway.

When our next opportunity arises to berate ourselves, I hope we remember to love anyway.  But it’s alright if we don’t!  We will get it next time Life lovingly brings us back to another opportunity to learn.  Or the next.

Wishing you opportunities to love anyway!

Related Posts:


  • EP29-Shirley Ancheta, M. Evelina Galang

    EP29-Shirley Ancheta, M. Evelina Galang

    we feature a Manang from Manilatown, poet, Shirley Ancheta and novelist M. Evelina Galang, who has a newly published collection of short stories entitled When the Hibiscus Falls. We also feature a set of poetry celebrating John Coltrane on the occasion of his birthday, and a spoken word set that includes Dr. Maya Angelou in… Read more

  • Basketball, Bagoong and Bayanihan in Albany, Georgia

    Basketball, Bagoong and Bayanihan in Albany, Georgia

    In Albany the Filipino community is holding a basketball tournament with teams from the local Filipino league competing. The tournament is a fundraiser for children in the Philippines, children in need of school supplies. This is one of several basketball tournaments of the Filipino basketball league in the Southern part of the US that has… Read more

  • This Afternoon on WPVM Radio

    This Afternoon on WPVM Radio

    Please join host, Martha Cinader, for the Listen & Be Heard Radio Show on WPVM. We will play two interviews from Tony Robles: Shirley Ancheta and M. Evelina Galang. Also, a poetry tribute to John Coltrane on the occasion of his birthday, and as always, some spoken word. Read more

  • John Coltrane Sunday Morning

    John Coltrane Sunday Morning

    Tony Robles recites poem, John Coltrane Sunday Morning in Hamlet, North Carolina, Birthplace of John Coltrane On The Day After His Birthday Read more

  • Pilgrimage to Hamlet, North Carolina, Birthplace of John Coltrane on His Birthday

    Pilgrimage to Hamlet, North Carolina, Birthplace of John Coltrane on His Birthday

    Peggy Harris shows Listen & Be Heard Contributor Tony Robles the John Coltrane Mural in Hamlet, North Carolina. Peggy was born and raised in Hamlet and graciously guided Tony to the mural while telling stories of her birthplace and what John Coltrane means to the community. Read more

  • Think BIG. Start small.

    Think BIG. Start small.

    Have BIG plans? AWESOME! Where would you like to begin? THIS one simple question can often derail our plans before we even make a plan! When our dream is so big that we have no way to even imagine the full picture, we often have no idea how to get started moving in the direction of… Read more

%d bloggers like this: