Recipes for Mind and Body Happiness💞 A Morning to Boost Self-Esteem
Recipes for Mind and Body Happiness💞
Today's Theme: A Morning to Boost Self-Esteem
💞 A Morning Word
Good Morning in Languages of the World
Hawaiian
Aloha kakahiaka
Aloha kakahiaka
Aloha kakahiaka is Hawaiian for "good morning."
The word "aloha" carries the resonance of love, compassion, and harmony.
When you recite this word in your heart first thing in the morning, it feels as if you are placing a flower lei upon yourself.
Let's start by gently gifting an aloha to ourselves today.
💞 Today's Quote
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
Oscar Wilde
Even if you aren't as cheerful as someone else,
even if you aren't as strong as someone else,
even if you aren't as skillful as someone else,
you have a light today that only you can shine.
Morning is not a time to compare yourself,
but a time to return to yourself.
💞 My Breakfast, Books, Movies, and Music
Today's Breakfast
Honey butter toast and a morning to be a little proud of
This morning, I'm toasting a thick slice of bread.
Once the surface turns a golden brown and the scent of wheat fills the kitchen, I add butter while it's still hot.
A yellow light that melts away with a sizzle.
Then, I drizzle a thin stream of honey over it.
Today's breakfast is honey butter toast.
It's simple, yet it feels like a reward on a plate.
The term 'self-esteem' can sound a bit overwhelming.
But in truth, it isn't about becoming someone extraordinary.
It might just be about saying 'I'm glad you're here' to the person you are right now.
Even if you're sleep-deprived,
even if your room is a little messy,
even if words you couldn't say well yesterday still linger in your heart,
the morning still comes, you wake up, and you have properly arrived at the place called today.
For that alone, you are already doing enough.
When you take a bite of toast, the saltiness of the butter mixes with the sweetness of the honey.
Life is a bit like that, too.
The things you could do, and the things you couldn't.
The things that made you happy, and the things that brought regret.
All of it mixes together to become the flavor of my day today.
Today, I'll place a small book on the dining table.
It's okay if you don't read many pages.
If you can find just one line that resonates with your heart, it becomes a small morning amulet.
The golden color of honey is the color of confidence.
It is a light that glows quietly within, without needing to prove anything to anyone.
Today's breakfast is a time to take that light into your body.
I am fine just as I am.
It is a sweet and warm morning to remind yourself of that.
💞 Today's Affirmation Words
Affirmation for the Mind
I am gradually learning to love being myself.
Affirmation for the Body
My body is supporting me again today.
Self-esteem is not something that grows suddenly overnight.
It grows by watering your heart with small words, a little bit every day.
'I am okay.'
'It is okay for me to be here.'
'I am doing well again today.'
It is fine if you cannot believe it at first.
As words touch your heart repeatedly, they begin to take on a little warmth.
Let's try saying thank you to your body, too.
For opening your sleepy eyes,
for standing on the floor with your feet,
for keeping your heart beating quietly.
Your body is not blaming you.
It remains silently on your side again today.
On a morning when you realize that fact,
self-esteem quietly begins to sprout.
💞 Zen Q&A Column for Mind and Body
Theme
Do flowers bloom because they praise themselves?
A disciple asked,
"Teacher, what should I do to learn to love myself?"
The teacher pointed to a flower in the garden.
"Do you think this flower blooms because it loves itself?"
The disciple thought.
"I don't know. But it is very beautiful."
The teacher said,
"A flower does not bloom by comparing itself to others. It simply blooms because its season has arrived."
The disciple gazed at the flower for a while.
Small flowers,
large flowers,
flowers that bloom early,
flowers that bloom late,
flowers with strong scents,
flowers that bloom quietly in inconspicuous places.
Every flower blooms in its own way.
Yet, there is nothing wrong with the fact that they are blooming.
People are the same.
You don't have to bloom earlier than anyone else.
You don't have to stand out more than anyone else.
If you were able to lift your head just a little today,
that is a part of your season.
Self-esteem may not be about making yourself look bigger,
but about not blaming yourself for the way you bloom.
💞 Moon, Mind, and Body Column
Theme
Cultivating confidence like a crescent moon
The moon is not always a full moon.
There are nights when a thin crescent moon floats in the sky.
But the crescent moon is not beautiful because it is incomplete;
it illuminates the night just as it is, with its thin light.
Self-esteem does not have to be as big as a full moon, either.
It is okay if you cannot puff out your chest and think, "I am the best," in the morning.
Just a little bit,
"Maybe I'm not so bad today either."
If you can think that, that is a wonderful light.
We sometimes think of confidence as something too big.
Being able to speak confidently in front of others,
being able to stay calm even when failing,
being recognized by everyone.
But true confidence exists in a quieter place.
Not blaming yourself when you are tired,
not closing off tomorrow even on days when you couldn't do anything,
and properly picking up the small successes.
Just as the moon waxes little by little, your heart fills up little by little.
You woke up one minute earlier than yesterday.
You were able to eat breakfast.
You were able to show yourself a slightly kinder face in the mirror.
With just that, the moon in your heart becomes just a little bit rounder.
Your body's rhythm is also deeply connected to your self-esteem.
When you are cold, anxiety feels much larger.
When you haven't slept, you tend to be harder on yourself.
So today, to learn to love yourself, let's start by warming up your body.
Drink some warm water.
Warm the back of your neck.
Exhale deeply.
Feel the floor with the soles of your feet.
When your body feels at ease, your heart gradually feels at ease too.
When your heart feels at ease, you stop blaming yourself more than necessary.
Even a thin crescent moon has its rightful place in the night sky.
You, too, have your rightful place today.
You don't have to shine brightly.
You don't have to be someone else's sky.
You are shining in your own way this very morning.