You know you’ve truly accepted yourself, when what would have been a horribly embarrassing moment years ago, is embraced with laughter and a, “Hey, did anyone get that on video? Noooo? That would have been awesome to post!”

I loved looking up to see my husband shaking his head back and forth with disbelief…

Hawaii was a great trip!

When we were in Maui a couple of weeks ago, I was ready to head into the ocean for a little snorkel adventure.  I was suddenly caught off guard at the edge of the beach by a huge wave. I had my flippers and snorkel gear on and was ready to go, when…

BAMM!

I found myself washed up on shore, rolling around uncontrollably.

Think bikini full of sand, out of control.

I got up, then another wave knocked me down. Let the rolling continue for a few more minutes, while I’m laughing uncontrollably to tears. Finally I glanced back, finding my family, all sitting in beach chairs with their mouths gaping.

I yelled out, “Anyone gets that on video? No? Dang!”

There’s a reason for why I’m telling you this story.

Years ago I would have been so humiliated and mad about that experience, I might have even cried. But now I’m so happy that I could laugh and not care at all, about how I looked rolling around on a sandy beach, head over flippers.

I’m so thrilled that I can laugh at myself being a goofball and just have fun these days, without stressing about how I look to others.

If you’re taking yourself too seriously, it’s time to lighten up.

I look back on all the years of taking life way too seriously and caring too much about what others thought. There were so many great times I wasted by getting upset or embarrassed.

I’m glad that I’m free from that today. Life’s too short, to spend worrying about all the little things, that really don’t matter.

How do you handle your life’s awkward moments?

Do you go with the flow?

Take a look at how you respond to your experiences – both the good and the bad. Do you cringe and want to hide? Or can you laugh it off?

Can you look at it from another angle?

Was it really that bad? Can you find something fun or at least comical about it? What would you think, if you saw someone else, having the same experience? Would it bring a smile to your face?

If you still can’t quite loosen up, ask yourself if you have an early experience when you felt humiliated or self-conscious. A time when you were supposed to be having fun. That memory could be key, in freeing you from negative feelings today.

Here’s another view.

Imagine you had a memory of being 5 years old, where you fell and everyone laughed at you. You got up crying and fled. You thought those kids were cruel and wanted to hurt you.  Today you go to great lengths, to prevent that sort of pain from happening again.

Now think of another kid, having a similar experience. He falls and finds everyone laughing at him. But instead of getting upset, he gets up and makes himself fall again, creating, even more, laughter and loving it. This makes him popular among his friends and he becomes known as the one who keeps everything light and fun. Everyone loves him.

The difference between these 2 scenarios, all comes down to our perception and how we use that to move forward comfortably in life.

Take a look at your own experiences. Are you able to view it in a way that puts a smile on your face? How does that feel to you instead?

We can’t go back in time.

There’s no going back to change those memories but we can move forward in a way that feels lighter, with a clear vision of how we want to experience our lives today.

How about you?

Do you have sometimes when you shifted your thinking, to a more positive, fun experience? I would love to hear about it in the comments below.

And remember if you ever feel stuck in your current patterns I’m here to help. I have many wonderful tools like The Healing Codes, Emotion Code and EFT to help you create new better experiences.

You can create a better life!