Self-care is never a selfish act - it is only good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others.
Interpretation
Self-care is an essential practice that enables individuals to take care of themselves in order to better serve others.
This quote emphasizes that self-care is not an act of selfishness but rather a necessary aspect of responsibility towards oneself and others. By valuing and nurturing our own well-being, we become more capable of contributing positively to the lives of those around us, as we harness our innate gifts to offer to the world.
In practice
In a wellness workshop, discussing the importance of self-care for mental health.
The academic bias against subjectivity not only forces our students to write poorly ("It is believed...," instead of, "I believe..."), it deforms their thinking about themselves and their world. In a single stroke, we delude our students into believing that bad prose turns opinions into facts and we alienate them from their own inner lives.
Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am.
We need a coat with two pockets. In one pocket there is dust, and in the other pocket there is gold. We need a coat with two pockets to remind us who we are.
The kind of teaching that transforms people does not happen if the student’s inward teacher is ignored… we can speak to the teacher within our students only when we are on speaking terms with the teacher within ourselves.
Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks--we will also find our path of authentic service in the world.
The people who help us grow toward true self offer unconditional love, neither judging us to be deficient nor trying to force us to change but accepting us exactly as we are. And yet this unconditional love does not lead us to rest on our laurels. Instead, it surrounds us with a charged force field that makes us want to grow from the inside out - a force field that is safe enough to take the risks and endure the failures that growth requires.
Money is like manure; it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around.
I have no regrets, because I've done everything I could to the best of my ability.
Look round the habitable world, how few Know their own good, or, knowing it, pursue!
In studying the history of the human mind one is impressed again and again by the fact that its growth keeps pace with a widening range of consciousness, and that each step forward is an extremely painful and laborious achievement. One could almost say that nothing is more hateful to man than to give up the smallest particle of unconsciousness. He has a profound fear of the unknown. Ask anybody who has ever tried to introduce new ideas!
You should rather be grateful for the weeds you have in your mind, because eventually they will enrich your practice.
To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.
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