Elevate Everyday

Tag: growth

  • More Appreciation, Less Expectation: A Story About A Mother’s Quiet Love

    More Appreciation, Less Expectation: A Story About A Mother’s Quiet Love

    ▶️ Listen to the Episode

    ✨ Short Episode Summary

    A late-night flurry of WeChat messages from my mom—photos of jackets and blouses—reminded me of something much deeper than clothing. In this episode, I reflect on how love often shows up in the quietest gestures, and how easily we can take our closest relationships for granted.

    📝 Show Notes

    In this heartfelt episode, I share a personal story about a nighttime exchange with my mom in China—a moment that stirred reflection, emotion, and unexpected gratitude. What started as a conversation about clothes turned into a deeply felt revelation about the way love is expressed across time, distance, and generations.

    In this episode, I explore:

    • The quiet ways our loved ones show care
    • How guilt and distance shape parent-child relationships
    • The shift from expectation to appreciation
    • A reminder to not take our closest relationships for granted

    Reflection prompts:

    • Who in your life have you been unintentionally taking for granted?
    • What’s one small way you can express appreciation to someone close to you today?

    💬 Favorite Quote from the Episode

    “We often take our most sacred relationships for granted.”

    “I realized how often I’ve taken her love—and her—for granted. How I’ve come to expect these gifts instead of appreciating the care and emotion behind them. As if they were something she owed me.

    But they’re not owed. They’re offered. Freely. Lovingly.

    And they deserve gratitude.”

    🔗 Related Links

  • I’m Enough: Healing Our Inner Critic with Self-Love

    I’m Enough: Healing Our Inner Critic with Self-Love

    Valentine’s Day often centers on showing love to others—our partners, children, friends, and colleagues. But one of the most powerful relationships we can nurture is the one we have with ourselves.

    What if this Valentine’s Day, we choose to love ourselves as deeply as we love others?

    …

    Try saying this out loud like you really mean it: I’m enough.

    If you’re like most people, those words might feel uncomfortable, even foreign. Why is that?

    Because often, deep down, we don’t believe it. As soon as we attempt to affirm our worth, our inner critic interrupts:

    You’re not as smart/capable/creative/successful as someone else.
    What have you accomplished to deserve that belief?

    The harsh judgment continues, often more cruel than anything someone else would say to us directly.

    But what if we chose to view our inner critic with love and compassion? Imagine it as a younger version of yourself—a child who has endured years or decades of criticism, comparison, and unrealistic expectations.

    This brings to mind the Fire Spirit from Frozen II, a gentle salamander consumed by fear and anger, leaving destruction in its path. Yet, when Elsa met it with love and compassion instead of resistance, its fiery rage stopped, revealing its true, lovable nature.

    What if we approached our inner critic the same way?

    What if we recognized that the critical voice isn’t truly us?

    Think back to the first time you heard those judgmental words. Way, way back.

    Whose voice was it? A parent? A teacher? A boss? Once we hear something enough, we begin to internalize it, mistaking it as our own.

    Picture that younger version of yourself hearing those hurtful words. How did they feel at that moment? Flawed? Inadequate? Unworthy?

    Now, imagine embracing that younger self. What would you say to them now?

    Perhaps:
    You are worthy.
    You are loved.
    You are enough.

    Feel the warmth of compassion as you reassure them. Visualize pouring love into them, healing old wounds with kindness.

    …

    Healing begins when we unlearn the judgment we’ve absorbed and start remembering who we truly are—whole, worthy, and free.

    This Valentine’s Day, let’s commit to loving ourselves as much as we love others.

    Our inner critic isn’t our enemy; it’s a part of us that needs love. When we nurture it with compassion, we step closer to embracing our true selves—worthy, enough, and whole.

    What about you?

    What is one critical thought you often tell yourself? How can you reframe it with compassion? What would your younger self need to hear from you today?

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