Hi Everyone,
For today’s post, I want to share some thoughts about grace, which has been on my mind a lot lately.
How do you show someone grace when you don't think it's deserved?
How do you continue to show someone grace when they clearly don't appreciate it?
Why do so many people, especially women, feel guilty about showing themselves grace?
I'll be honest, I struggle with grace. In situations where I could be showing grace, I’m usually reacting with frustration and annoyance. At the same time, I've been shown grace repeatedly over the years when I didn't particularity deserve it (and I still often feel undeserving), but clearly needed it from someone. So, you see how grace is a rather tricky conundrum for me to sort out.
Recently, though, I came across a Queenism (see end of post for more info)*** that touches on grace, and I knew it was something that I wanted to pass along.
This really spoke to me because women almost never put themselves first, often saying “yes” to someone or something out of guilt when they would much rather be saying “no” – which, by the way, would be showing themselves grace.
Therefore, practicing grace does not mean ignoring your personal boundaries. Rather, it is more than okay to take time out for yourself, to put yourself first, to treat yourself with kindness, to practice self-compassion. Allowing for the time and space you need to take a step back, especially for the sake of your mental health, is one of the greatest expressions of grace you can show yourself.
Until next time,
Eddy
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*** Lifelong friends, Kathy Kinney (American actress, voice actress, and comedian) and Cindy Ratzlaff (personal speaker and award winning marketing & branding professional), originally began writing and creating Queenisms™ -- small doses of daily inspiration -- for themselves. When they started sharing Queenisms™ on their Facebook page, women everywhere responded with messages of thanks and gratitude. Over 10 years later, Kathy and Cindy, co-authors of Queen of Your Own Life: The Grown Up Woman's Guide to Claiming Happiness and Getting the Life You Deserve and Queenisms: 101 Jolts of Inspiration, continue to inspire women everywhere, one Queenism at a time.
Image Credit: From QueenofOwnLife on Pinterest
