Simple Quote Sunday

“The most splendid achievement of all is the constant striving to surpass yourself and to be worthy of your own approval.” -Denis Waitley

Snapshot Challenge Saturday

Fitting in and the desire to be socially accepted by others are age old concepts that follow us all the way from childhood up until our senior years. We desperately seek the approval from those around us, and in many instances, we even change who we are to please a certain group of people.

We continuously strive for an acceptance from others, when in fact, we should be the only ones needing to accept us as who we are. Only when we become comfortable with ourselves can we become more comfortable with those around us. And only when we can learn to accept ourselves can this yearning for social desirability and approval slowly disappear.

As I got out of my car to run some errands, I noticed a beautiful duck crossing the street. It took its time, and didn’t care that there were impatient people whose busy schedules were now put on a momentary pause. Instead, the duck slowly waddled and even stopped for a photograph. 

If we could make an effort to care less about what others think and care more about accepting ourselves for who we are, we’d experience less stress on a daily basis. We’d probably even be able to focus our attention on things that are much more important (like a perfectly posed duck in the middle of the street).