Self Knowledge Is One Of Life's Greatest Lessons.

Self-knowledge is single-handedly one the most important knowledge one will ever acquire. It is also, is one of the hardest things to face, as well, as one of the most beautiful. What do I mean when I say this? Introspecting, makes you have to face all the weaknesses, the painful experiences you have gone through, your coping mechanisms, and make sense of them all. What am I doing that is contributing to my weaknesses and causing them to compound?

How has the pain in my life shaped who I am today? What have I learned about myself through these experiences? Introspecting also has a beauty. The strengths you bring to the table, what you are passionate about, the values you hold close to you. From these, you have a painting of who you are. Paintings would be quite boring if all the colors were only light. It is the darkness of certain colors that give the painting depth.

This is applies to people, as well. How mundane our lives would be if we only ever experienced good. How could we recognize when life is good, if there has never been any lows to compare to? Each of the experiences in our life are the different shades of paint. One by one, adding depth, perspective, and shading.

By the time, the painting is finished, the painting is loved by you. The painting is loved because regardless, of what mistakes have been made, the work the painting took has shaped you. Every color, every stroke, we learn from. That is how we achieve self love. Self love is not looking at the good parts of the art and ignoring the rest. It is fully appreciating the whole piece of art like we will fully appreciate ourselves.

Take Care Of Yourself First.

Imagine pouring green tea from a kettle. The kettle is almost empty. The receiver is, of course, gracious to the little tea they have been offered, but wouldn't it be better to have been able to serve a full cup of tea? To make green tea, you turn on the water and fill the kettle. The water going in the kettle is the self care pouring out into yourself. Being kind to yourself, taking care of your physical needs, and being aware of your mental states and tending to them, all need to be filled to the brim. Once, the water is filled, you then put in the green tea bags.

You then turn on the stove, and accept the warmth of the burners. The warmth of those around you. Making sure the people around you are heating you up, rather than cooling you down. The people in your life accept you as you are, uplift you, listen, and most importantly, love you. Warm water is essential for tea, as is the warm spirits of the circle around you.

Finally, it's time to seep in the tea, green tea is full of antioxidants. These antioxidants help you glow both externally and internally. The antioxidants are your passions you develop as your tea begins to brew. These passions infiltrate every molecule of water, bringing the life to the tea. All the steps along the way, the water, the heating, and the seeping have now given a place for the passion to grow. Trying to make green tea without the other steps results in an unused tea bag. There is so much potential for a passion to grow and be shared with other people, but no resources for it to be able to seep.

This is not the case today. Our green tea is made and we can share the love of our passions, our dreams, and the gifts we have developed along the way with the self care, the support of others, and the ground for our focus to go to other things other than trying to mentally survive through the day.

Through the warmth you've acquired, you now can be the warm spirit in others lives, helping them develop to their potential, as well. This is how we share our tea.

Forgive Others. If Not For Them, Do It For You.

Forgiveness is hard. I know. But holding the burden of a grudge is harder. The weight is a lot to carry. Everyone has their own perspectives and backgrounds. Keeping that in mind makes forgiveness much easier. It's not justifying their actions, but it's just understanding. Understanding that you will never know what life experiences have shaped them and realizing you have done your own share of mistakes and that's okay.

You Are Worth More Than Your Body

Everywhere you look, the world has a message. The victim blaming, the demeaning terms, and the objectification of women, make it hard to ignore. But listen, what you wear and who you choose to share intimacy with, bear nothing on your worth as person. You are no less intelligent or capable than anyone else. Your clothes do not define you and they do not determine the outcomes in any unfortunate situation you find yourself in. That is on them, remember that.