What if I challenged you to stop judging yourself and others for 24 hours. Could you do it? No judgement, no criticism, no comparisons.
It would be hard wouldn’t it? The running commentary inside our head never stops. Always comparing ourselves to others, re-playing what we said, what we wish we had said, how stupid or smart we sounded, what they said. And the constant categorization of others; smarter, more stylish, less educated, funnier, boring. It is endless. How peaceful it would be to just stop. To just accept ourselves as we are and accept others as they are.
The older I get the easier it becomes to stop judging myself too harshly, although it is still a work in progress. Whenever I’m tempted to judge someone else I try to remember that bar scene in the original Star Wars film where there are all kinds of weird and wonderful creatures from different planets gathered together. They all look strange and different but quite fascinating. I try to see the person I am about to judge as being fascinating rather than just different. It works. It moves me out of judgement and into interest.
None of us want to be judged and when we can stop judging ourselves, we automatically stop judging others. Accepting ourselves, flaws and strengths, is the powerful precursor to accepting others. Where there is acceptance between people there is peace. So, try the challenge for 24 hours. Find out how peaceful you could be.
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