To accept and then to love {An update on Insecurity - A 2015 Intentional (#2)}

I've been working through my insecurities over the last couple of months.  You can read all about it here and here.  As I look back, I believe my first big breakthrough was being able to name that the emotions I was feeling stemmed from insecurity.  Back to naming it and claiming it.  My second big breakthrough came when I realized that I didn't need to cure my insecurity overnight.  Rather, I decided to give myself space to breathe, to think, to process the feelings within; label them as stemming from insecurity (or not), and sit in my awareness.  No need to quick fix at this stage!So here I am.  Awareness is my friend.  I'm trying to accept me even when I feel insecure.  Even when I make mistakes.  This is hard for a recovering perfectionist.  And guess what - there is so much freedom in not having to be perfect! Photo source           As I've sat in my awareness, I've conceptualized two other breakthroughs that I'd like toshare with y'all.  These two concepts intermingle together so hang with me while I explain:I wrote in my journal recently that "insecurity isn't so much about changing me but embracing, celebrating and loving who I am."  (We'll call this breakthrough #3.) There is relief in knowing I don't need to change myself to live security well.  I don't need to buy a new outfit.  I don't need to work through my jealousy issues.  I don't need to lose five pounds.  I don't need to...  You get the point.  Living security well means not only accepting myself, both the great things and the not so great things; but also loving myself just the way God made me.I have to say, it's one thing for me to accept myself (which I believe I am working towards during this season).  It's a whole other thing to love myself.  For me to love my freckles.  To love my eyes-that-are-so-sensitive-that-turn-red-so-easily.  To love my wayward hair.  And those are just the outward parts of me that are hard to accept much less love.  Then there's the inside.  To love my sensitive heart.  To love my propensity towards jealousy.  (And I don't even know that that last one is even Biblical, but you know what I mean!)  To love my desire to go deep.The second recent breakthrough (otherwise called breakthrough #4) is this:  How is it that I can get so distracted thinking I need to look, act, be like someone else... all the while, when I sit in stillness, I realize that I'm quite alright with how God made me?!  How does that happen?  It seems I forget so easily my uniqueness.  And what would it look like to stay grounded in those moments when insecurity seems to be spiraling out of control.  How can I remind myself that I'm okay being just me.  Not anyone else... but simply me?As I move towards not only accepting all the parts of me, but loving all the parts of me; I'd like to think that I won't get so distracted with thinking I "should" act, look, be like someone else.So here I am. Naming insecurity.  Sitting in awareness.  Working towards accepting all the different facets of me and overtime desiring to love all the different facets of me.That's my update.What about you - those parts of your outward self or your inward self that you've never quite accepted - do you think it's possible to not only accept them but to also LOVE them?  For me, could I start to adore my freckles?  My wrinkles?  My sensitive heart?  I would love to hear your thoughts!