Harmony with Oneself

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Calligraphy for Harmony from our Newly Re-released Calligraphy Lesson. $6.95 or free with any purchase of $50 or more.

Three Part Series on Harmony

We would like to discuss three aspects of Harmony. Harmony with oneself, harmony with others, and harmony with the Universe.

What Does it Mean to Be in Harmony with Oneself?

Self Acceptance

There are two major ways to find harmony with oneself. The first is the practice of self acceptance. Self acceptance is something that we are all born with. Children naturally pursue their interests and curiosities. YouTube is filled with videos of prodigies. In the past it was easy to think that this phenomenon was rare because the only time we encountered a prodigy was when they became famous enough to make it on television. Nowadays with YouTube, the sheer number of children with professional level skill as singers, dancers, artists, or musicians compels us to consider that perhaps we are all born with exceptional potential. The practice of self crticism or self rejection is a learned practice. Maybe as a small child we were around a parent who had a learned habit of self criticism.

Perhaps we were around an authority figure or a teacher who was having a bad day. I have found this to be a common story for those who have chosen to study art as an adult. Early on in life, they encountered criticisms from an authority figure that caused them to adopt a belief that there were not artistic or creative. Because of this adopted belief they put off studying art even though they were naturally interested by it. The simplicity of Chinese Brush Painting often is the encouragement that people need to give it a try.

There can be volumes written about self acceptance. But here are some tips for increasing your amount of self acceptance.

You are enough. Many times criticism is used as a tool for motivation. It is important regardless of our past to practice looking and the mirror and saying these words aloud. "I am enough."
Learn to accept compliments with a simple "thank you." It wasn't until I was 30 years old that I realized that I had a habit of always deflecting compliments with self deprecation, self criticism. It felt so much better to open myself up to compliments, offer a smile and simply say "thank you."
You can accept yourself and still change and improve. You are a constantly evolving being. The process of life naturally gives you feedback on who you are deciding to be. Self acceptance does not mean you limit your potential. In fact, it is the most powerful state from which you can evolve and improve.
Reject people or companies who play on your insecurities to manipulate you into what they want you to do. Once you start practicing self acceptance you may notice that you begin to be drawn to different people and different companies. This is a natural part of self acceptance and should be embraced.

Harmony With Your Desires

Naturally flowing from self acceptance is the allowing of your desires. I have found it unusually common that people will mention their desires and immediately follow that statement with a reason why they cannot have what they want. The essential purpose of life is to create new desires and fulfill them. It is a holy process that is at the core of why we are all here in this life.

Everything that you want to be, do or have is because you think experiencing the fulfillment of your desire will make you feel better. Feeling better is a choice and is achieved by choosing thoughts that are consistent with you getting what you desire. Choose good feeling thoughts to feel better. Feel better long enough and your desires will begin to unfold easily and joyfully.
Newly formed desires are the most vulnerable. The better we get at believing we can have everything we want, the more we will experience people around us being supportive of our desires. When you encounter unsupportive people, it just means that the desire is still to new for you to completely accept. Don't get discouraged by this, just focus in a good feeling way on your desire for longer and the external support and validation will soon follow. Learn to know who you can share newly formed desires with. There are people who are good at helping you shore up new desires.
It is ok if you experience a desire and it turns out that you want something else. This is a very natural part of shaping and selecting your desires. Many people will think of this as a mistake. It is not. Rather, it was the best way for you to clarify what it is that you ultimately want.

Circumstances are Perfect For this Type of Reflection

We are encountering an unprecedented time. One thing is for certain. There has never been a better time for the type of self reflection and work that can transform your life experience into a creative masterpiece.

You are enough. You can have everything that you want. You are loved more than you know.