Last week while I was walking on the beach in Florida, a dozen pelicans flew over my head, gliding in what appeared to be an effortless V formation, banking right then left. I had a moment of thinking how lovely it would be to fly above the crashing surf, surveying the busy sandpipers scurrying in and out of the waves.
Of course, on land pelicans are not graceful. Their walk is ungainly. And they smell, which makes sense since they are fish eaters. Still, pelicans never give a thought to the less attractive attributes of their species. They bumble along on shore or gracefully ride the air currents, it hardly seems to matter which.
Most humans focus on what we don’t like about ourselves – our physical appearance, our talents, our cognitive style, our heritage, gender or age. We focus on what’s missing, what’s imperfect. What pelicans know instinctively, we struggle to accept: we each have amazing attributes and gifts! Yet we waste time and energy in several ways:
• We fail to celebrate what is amazing about ourselves.
• We focus on what is not amazing.
• We wish someone else’s attributes and gifts were ours.
Enough already. Even pelicans know better than that!
Make only one resolution this year – spend more time and energy celebrating and using YOUR special gifts.
Try this for the next 21 days and let me know what you discover.
Until next Tuesday. YIPPEE!
Elizabeth
If you aren’t sure then consider coming to the Discover Your YIPPEE Retreat April 10th and 11th, 2015 in Nashville.