Hi guys! I have to say, my 2019 is having a bit of rough start. There are so many things going on in my mind, things about the future, things about my personal goals that are just way too far ahead. As usual, it took me a while to realize this. But I did. And as hard as it is, it is always important to come back to yourself and to live in the present moment. Focus on yourself and focus on the now. That's what I'm currently trying to work on. And one of the best ways for me to do so is to first: go to the gym and second: read motivational books. Talking about personal goals, one goal that is more in the present moment is to share knowledge from these motivational books with you guys on here. So that's what I'm going to do today!

As you may recall, I have previously talked about the book "Judgement Detox" from Gabrielle Bernstein, which I was super excited to start reading in. I'm currently about half-way through the book and I already want to share some of it with you. As you can probably guess, the book is all about judgement and how to deal with it. We all judge. All the time. It's normal. We all have our baggage and wounds from the past that we carry with us wherever we go. Only a person who is truly happy and complete will not judge others, but this is something that is pretty much unimaginable. Judgement can come in many forms. Whether you get annoyed by someone who skips the line in the supermarket, or by someone who behaves in a way which makes you judge them for it. 

The book basically asks you to analyze your judgements through four different stages: 
1) What or who am I judging? 
2) How does this judgement make me feel? 
3) Why do I feel justified in this judgement?
4) What moment in my life triggered this judgement? 

I ended up writing down nine different judgements which came to mind straight away. For example, I often find myself judging people for drinking too much and partying like crazy. It makes me feel quite annoyed, because unlike them, I just don't think it's "cool" at all. I justify this judgement by the fact that alcohol is like poison and that it can easily make you loose control of your body and actions. Now, I feel like step 4 is the step that really makes me realize where this is all coming from. And obviously, I used to be exactly like that myself a couple of years ago. This specific behavior has made me feel ashamed of myself. So, instead of honoring this so-called "wound", I put this feeling of shame onto someone else. It's a perfect example of judging others. My past has created some feeling of unworthiness which makes me project judgement on other people. In order to set this judgement free, we have to honor our "wounds" and open up to the feelings that lay in our past.

"The world you see is an outward projection of an internal condition, and changing the projection is an 'inside job'" - Gabrielle Bernstein

Personally, this quote really inspires me in the process of setting my judgement free. We look at the world around us through a certain lens. This lens is shaped through all of our experiences from the past and it makes us see the world filtered through our own emotions. Our past experiences don't only shape our present selves, but they also shape the way in which we perceive the world (and people) around us. Just try to sit down for a moment and think about all the times you've judged a stranger for something he or she has done. Try to figure out where this judgement is coming from by following the steps above and you will most certainly start to realize which past experiences are causing this judgement. Once you've done so, try to honor these "wounds" by telling yourself that it's okay. What's done is done, so instead of clinging to these feelings, we should rather embrace them and look at it from a positive perspective. All of our past experiences have shaped us to become the person we are today. And that person deserves to be loved, by him- or herself and by others♥

LOVE, Michelle