One of the harder things to struggle with in my opinion, is overall confidence. Once chronic illness like fibromyalgia, i.e. chronic fatigue, fibro fog, continual pain becomes a part of the mix, confidence becomes even more elusive.
This was another story that was in a "Chicken Soup for The Soul" book that I used to share with clients frequently. I always found it very inspiring, and I still do.
Many centuries ago, a Tai monastery housed an immense and beautiful golden statue of Buddha. After news of an invasion by the Burmese army was imminent; however, the monks sought to protect the statue from thievery and destruction. They covered the Golden Buddah with 8-12 inches of plastered clay, hoping the warriors would have no desire to steal a seemingly worthless sculpture. It worked, but the monks all lost their lives, leaving the secret of the Buddah hidden.
In 1957, an entire Monastery in Thailand was being relocated by a group of monks. One day they were moving a giant clay Buddha when one of the monks noticed a large crack in the clay. The monks discovered that underneath the clay was a solid gold Buddha. The Buddha now resides in Bangkok, Thailand.
There could not be a better metaphor for reminding us of the goodness within!!!!! And there may be no better time as when we are attacked by a sometime invisible illness that seemingly steals our dignity, endurance, faculties without looking back.
The great news and comparison is that the all the positive things about us are still there! Life can just have a way of adding layer after layer over our own core value, sometimes just by our unconscious conditioning. We just have to be redirected at chipping away at the clay to become aware again of our God given value. For me, dealing with chronic illness, forced retirement, no longer being able to participate in former activities, very little memory was like a "living death certificate." I apologize that sounds very depressing. I have not felt that way in a long time!! But that was how I felt.
Now there are many ways to help with growing self confidence. The old saying, "the act of doing" is all you need to help with self esteem, gets more complex with chronic illness and all of the other myriad of emotional,mental issues that tag along with the simple phrase. Nothing is simple anymore!!!!!
From Me To U!!!
God Bless!!!
Don't loose sight of your goodness!!!
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