To be life-affirming and experience-altering, centering needs to be
based on a belief that we are wonderful!
When they first truly center, people are often amazed to notice that
they feel grateful for what they have and who they are. As we continue
to practice, this sense of a full self builds into a solid core. We then
can experiment with a different response pattern, taking the stance
that we are fine, good, and wonderful, and behaving in line with that
conviction. This is a crucial step in uncovering joy and really changing
how we feel in our lives. Developing the habit of feeling ourselves, at
our core, to be valuable and good is the key to building a new personal
reality.
Our center continues to strengthen over time as we stop ourselves
from going down old, worn paths of self-blame, excessive apology, or
excuse-making—whatever our automatic artillery is. Then we must
insist on taking the stance that we are fine. We can then see what life
is like when standing in our “worthy” position, noticing new options
that appear—not just our old usuals. from chapter ‘Value Yourself Highly”