We all have a light and dark side. There is a tendency for us to judge the light as good and dark as bad. Hence, our dark side has often been referred to as our ‘shadow’, representing a part of ourselves that we have rejected.
Lurking in our shadows are all those parts of us that we have labelled as wrong, stupid, useless, and basically not good enough. We’ve all experienced judging ourselves, however we may not be aware of the impact; this can turn into a self-defeating postulate that can follow us around for our whole lives. For instance, if you want more money, the part of you who feels not good enough may stop you from even asking or receiving it because you haven’t proven your worth.
It’s difficult to face the pain of self-rejection and to even admit that we have judged ourselves this way. Hence, when our shadow creeps up, we develop defense mechanisms to avoid confronting our own self-inflicting judgments such as rationalizing or keeping ourselves so busy that we don’t have to face it.
As a result, we disown that part of ourselves further and it hangs over us like a shadow that we are constantly trying to avoid. If you have the courage to face it, you will notice that in the shadow is a vulnerable part of you that is just craving for your acceptance and to feel good enough. The only way to truly move beyond this is to face our shadow and accept ALL parts of us; the good, the bad and the ugly!
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