Tiny Buddha's Guide to Loving Yourself: 40 Ways to Transform Your Inner Critic and Your Life (25 page)

Opening Yourself Up to Love When You Didn't Grow Up with It
by Marie
4

Changing the Beliefs That Keep You Stuck
by Sam Russell
10

Releasing Shame and Loving All of You
by Sarah Louise Byrne
13

Finding Beauty in Your Scars
by Alexandra Heather Foss
18

Are You Running Away from Yourself?
by Amyra Mah
28

See Love Around You and You'll Feel More Love Within You
by Jennifer Chrisman
33

Accepting Your Battles: When Struggles Bring Gifts
by Alison Hummel
36

We Don't Always Have to Be Happy
by Jeanine Nicole
41

Overcoming Perfectionism in a Culture That Promotes It
by Lucy H. Pearce
49

The Key to Beauty and Acceptance Is You
by Jaclyn Witt
54

Feeling Comfortable in Your Own Skin
by Mary Dunlop
58

Transforming Judgments into Acceptance, for Others and Ourselves
by Jarl Forsman
62

Forgiving Yourself When You Hurt Someone Else
by Michael Davidson
71

This Moment Does Not Define You
by Lisa Stefany
76

Enjoy the Journey More by Eliminating the Word “Should”
by Maelina Frattaroli
79

Stop Beating Yourself Up Over Mistakes
by Michelle Ghilotti Mandel
82

Rejection Can Reveal How We're Rejecting Ourselves
by Erin Lanahan
91

Letting Go of Insecurities with Two Realizations
by Emma Brooke
95

You Are Good Enough Whether Other People Validate You or Not
by Alesha Chilton
98

Let Go of the Need for Approval
by Sacha Crouch
102

Stop Making Comparisons and Start Valuing Yourself
by Margie Beiswanger
111

Let Go of Fear by Stopping the Stories in Your Head
by Angela Gunn
114

Release Jealousy and Celebrate Your Greatness
by Kayla Albert
119

Why the Grass Is Never Greener and How to Be Happier Today
by Katy Cowan
123

Learning to Stop Clinging to People: Know That You Are Loved
by Elizabeth Garbee
131

Loving Without Losing Yourself
by Jennifer Gargotto
136

Become Your Own Biggest Fan
by Jenni Hanley
141

You Already Know Your Soul Mate
by Sheila Prakash
146

The Path to Living Authentically
by Julia Manuel
156

Being Honest with Ourselves and Removing Our Masks
by Charlie Tranchemontagne
161

How Being Vulnerable Can Change Your Life
by Wendy Miyake
166

How to Come Home to Yourself
by Julie Hoyle
170

What It Means to Take Care of Yourself
by Cat Li Stevenson
182

Why We Find It Hard to Do Things That Are Good for Us
by Hannah Braime
187

Recognize and Honor Your Needs
by Kaylee Rupp
192

Speaking Up Without Blowing Up
by Stephen Light
197

Choosing the Right Path for You
by Madison Sonnier
206

Lies That Prevent Us from Living Up to Our Potential
by An Bourmanne
210

Stop Waiting for Life to Happen and Start Living It Now
by Patrycja Domurad
214

Recognizing How Far You've Come
by Joanna Z. Weston
219

Alesha Chilton

Alesha Chilton is an MBA graduate who enjoys writing to help others. Her recent book about relationships titled
The System for Women: Find and Keep the Man of Your Dreams Online!
is available on Amazon. Visit Alesha
atchicandcraftydiva.com
.

Alexandra Heather Foss

Alexandra Heather Foss is a freelance writer whose writing has been featured on Tiny Buddha and in
The New York Times
. What time is not spent creating word art is spent with divine nature—of herself, others, the cosmos, and this special planet we call home.

Alison Hummel

Alison Hummel is the founder of
thedreamadventure.com
and lives in Philadelphia with her husband Jon, their son Cash, and their cat, Kittie. She is dedicated to pursuing her own dreams and encouraging others to pursue theirs.

Amyra Mah

Amyra Mah is a spiritual coach, intuitive counselor, writer, blogger, and creator of extraordinary programs for addictions and other lifestyle imbalances. She is passionate about helping people find unusual sources of power, spiritual meaning, and a profound sense of comfort within, so that they rise to their magnificence. Visit her at
theamyrarecords.com
.

An Bourmanne

An Bourmanne loves mentoring people-pleasing perfectionists to confidently and unapologetically do their thing in the world and create a sizzling life that makes their heart sing and soar. She rediscovered her long-lost love for teaching and writing, which she does weekly at
ownyourlifecoaching.com
.

Angela Gunn

Angela Gunn is an award-winning writer based in Savannah, Georgia, who specializes in screenwriting and online and print media. She completed her second novel for NaNoWriMo 2012 and is currently working on a children's book, which will be published in 2013. Her writing and contact information can be found at
angegunn.com
.

Cat Li Stevenson

Cat Li Stevenson is a devotee to wellness, mindfulness, and happiness, and a recent corporate escapee who is living and practicing Zen, for the next year or so, on various meditation cushions in the world. At the intersection of her dynamic roles, Cat blogs at
thinksimplenow.com
. Add her as a friend on Facebook (
facebook.com/catherine.l.stevenson
) or follow her on Twitter @Cat_Stevenson.

Charlie Tranchemontagne

Charlie Tranchemontagne is a work (life) in progress. He's looking to find his own voice through writing and sharing, continuing to find himself on the road of self-discovery, and connecting with fellow travelers.

Elizabeth Garbee

Elizabeth Garbee is a college student who loves her brother, her cats, and playing the violin. She's a regular reader of Tiny Buddha.

Emma Brooke

Emma Brooke is a hypnotherapist, yoga lover, and counselor living life without regrets. She wants to change the world but still gets a bit scared about how to do it. She is super proud of being independent but still loves a cuddle from someone who believes in her. Follow her on Twitter @emmabr00ke and visit her at emmabrooke.co.uk.

Erin Lanahan

Erin Lanahan is an internationally certified holistic health coach, personal trainer, yoga instructor, motivational writer and speaker, and life empowerment mentor. Her mission is to inspire as many people as possible to return to their natural state of peace, abundance, health, inspiration, and love. Visit her blog at
erinlanahanmethod.com
and her YouTube page at
youtube.com/user/ErinLanahanMethod
.

Hannah Braime

Hannah Braime runs the blog Becoming Who You Are (
becomingwhoyouare.net
), a guide to authentic living. She is passionate about helping people create the lives they want from the inside out. She is the author of two books,
The Ultimate Guide to Journaling
and
The Ultimate Guide to Sentence Completion
. Connect with her on Facebook at
facebook.com/becomingwhoyouare
and on Twitter @becomewhour.

Jaclyn Witt

Jaclyn Witt is a twenty-something born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy. She lives in Southern California and works for a travel company. Her blog,
imaspiring.wordpress.com
, details what it's like being a single female living with a disability. She hopes her story will inspire others.

Jarl Forsman

In her journey of self-awareness, Jarl Forsman has found a way of thinking to help peacefully navigate the sometimes tumultuous seas of life. She cofounded the website
gratitudetwentyfourseven.com
to provide free daily insights and other tools to help others expand their self-awareness, overcome limiting beliefs, and rediscover the happiness within.

Jeanine Nicole

Jeanine Nicole is a writer, goal coach, personal growth teacher, and yoga instructor who lives in New York City. She blogs at
zestforthequest.com
. You can reach her at
[email protected]
or on Twitter @ZestfortheQuest. Learn more at
beginwithin18.com
.

Jenni Hanley

Jenni Hanley is a freelance writer and editor. In addition to blogging about locally grown food at
eatthisdallas.net
, she is a contributor for
Renfrew Connections
, a newsletter providing hope, help, and healing to those struggling with eating disorders.

Jennifer Chrisman

Jennifer Chrisman is a licensed clinical psychologist practicing in Los Angeles. She specializes in using mindfulness-based approaches to help her clients find more meaning in their life. Visit her website
at
drjenniferchrisman.com
, or follow her on Facebook at
facebook.com/drjennchrisman
or on Twitter @drjennchrisman.

Jennifer Gargotto

Jennifer Gargotto is an online marketing and SEO professional living in Denver, Colorado. You can follow her adventures online at
msmorphosis.com
, where she writes about fearless thinking for modern women, and
bloggingfearlessly.com
, where she teaches people how to grow personally and professionally online.

Joanna Z. Weston

Joanna Z. Weston is passionate about helping people recovering from depression to build a life they can love. She would love to guide you through the awkward space between depression and wellness. You can find her bicycling through the streets of Boston, snuggling her cat, reading voraciously, and blogging at
3speedlife.com
.

Julia Manuel

Julia Manuel is a writer and strategic communications specialist in Northern Virginia. An assistant with a Baptiste-affiliated yoga studio, she hopes to empower students to achieve unity between mind and body while giving back to the community that has helped her live authentically. She contributes to her yoga studio's blog, focusing on wellness and inquiry.

Julie Hoyle

Julie Hoyle is a spiritual teacher, natural intuitive, and transpersonal hypnotherapist. Her profound spiritual awakening is detailed in her e-book,
An Awakened Life: A Journey of Transformation
. She offers online courses, soul purpose readings, and energy retrieval at
truealignment.org
.

Katy Cowan

Katy Cowan is an author, journalist, and marketing professional based in the United Kingdom. She runs a marketing consultancy in Manchester called Boomerang (
weareboomerang.com
) and during her spare time she loves to help other creatives via her online industry magazine
Creative Boom
(creativeboom.co.uk).

Kayla Albert

Kayla Albert is a social media specialist by day and a personal growth blogger by night. You can follow her on Twitter @KaylaAlbert33 or check out more of her writing at
kaylaalbert.com
.

Kaylee Rupp

Kaylee Rupp's quest is helping others create purposeful, authentic, passionate lives—without the stress. For peaceful strategies (and a bit of whimsy), visit her at
zencaffeine.com
.

Lisa Stefany

Lisa Stefany is a proud graduate of Penn State University. She majored in English and minors in wearing patterns that clash and colors that don't quite match. She galvanizes her mind with yoga, wine, and grasping at the absurd intricacies of quantum mechanics, inflating universe(s), bizarre bacteria, and epigenetics.

Lucy H. Pearce

Lucy H. Pearce is the author of several books, including
Moon Time: A Guide to Celebrating Your Menstrual Cycle
and founder of
The Happy Womb
(
thehappywomb.com
) for empowering women's resources. She blogs on creativity, mindfulness, and motherhood at
dreamingaloud.net
. Connect with Lucy on Facebook at
facebook.com/DreamingAloudNt
and
facebook.com/thehappywomb
and on Twitter @DreamingAloudNt.

Madison Sonnier

Madison Sonnier is an aspiring writer and lover of animals, music, nature, and creativity. She loves to read, write, and spend time with her dogs. You can follow her on Twitter @MyLyricQuotes or her blog at
journeyofasoulsearcher.blogspot.com
.

Maelina Frattaroli

Maelina Frattaroli was born knowing she wanted to pursue writing. She believes most of life's complexities can be cured through the written word, listening to Neil Diamond, and garlic-infused dishes. In her spare time she writes poetry, hikes mountains, and wines and dines with good company. A garlic tattoo on her inner ankle is her pride and joy.

Margie Beiswanger

Margie teaches service-oriented entrepreneurs how to translate their unique expertise into signature programs and products so they can reach more of their ideal clients, leverage their time, expand their business, and earn a good living. She's passionate about showing people how their brilliance can shine even brighter! Visit her at
transformyourbrilliance.com
.

Marie

Marie is an avid reader and occasional contributor to
thesatiricalstylist.com
.

Mary Dunlop

Mary Dunlop is a passionate student of life with a keen desire to learn, share, and grow. She believes everyone has a special gift. Hers is writing, and currently she is publishing her first novella,
The Beauty of Twin Flame Love
.