Monday, June 23, 2008

An Illuminating Month

(Laura) What an incredible month for me! I have so enjoyed taking a deeper look into my self-judgment. What I realized is I have two main areas in which I still have residual judgment, my level of professionalism and my parenting. I have found it extraordinarily helpful to be aware of where I judge myself. It helps me recognize the judgment faster. I had an experience in self-judgment last week when I made a (in the words my spouse and I use) "less than optimal parenting decision." Later that day, after I spent a couple of hours feeling incredibly guilty, I noticed my Wayne Dyer quote of the day was:

"Any energy you place on what transpired in the past
is groundwork for guilt, and ego loves guilt.
Such negative energy fabricates and excuse
for why your present moments are troubled
and gives you a cop-out, a reason to stay out of spirit."
- Wayne Dyer

Hmmm...cop-out, eh? When I think in terms of the ego and being in spirit, I find it much easier to let go of the guilt. And being in-spirit is what my children need most.

So, do you know in what areas you judge yourself? Let us know?

2 comments:

Beth said...

I feel like our society is so focused on perfection (the way we look, act, perform) that we just don't give ourselves and others any "slack" on things. This is true in my personal and my work setting and is fed by interactions with others and with tv, magazines etc. You may have made a less than optimal parenting decision but I bet it was "real". If children see their parents ALWAYS making the perfect decisions, it only perpetuates the idea that we have to be perfect and that they have to be perfect.
Beth

@MuseLaura said...

How true! And, later that night, I spoke to my son about what happened. I apologized for my strong reaction and he forgave me in the sweetest, "that's okay, mommy!" We then discussed his behavior and came up with options. I, too, love that he saw me make a mistake and then move forward by making amends.