When spending time with our animal friends, it becomes transparent how content they are with themselves. Some have issues with the physical world, in parallel with us humans, but their connection with their true self seems to remain constant and true.

This got me wondering why we differ so much from our animal friends with our self-connection.

Many humans try to alter the core of who they are at some point in their lives, performing little tweaks or major renovations. Whether it’s to seek approval from others, acceptance from peers and society or a false belief of being loved, many of us have, at some point, tried to nurture ourselves into someone we, simply, are not. Often attempting to coax our true selves into believing that is who we really are.

Denial of true self cannot, and does not, maintain itself and it is during those moments of illusion when we struggle internally with ourselves, creating avoidable conflict.

For other species, this denial is not even a consideration. They have no desire or need to seek acceptance for their existence because they are busy existing.

The actions of some domesticated animals may be mistaken as affection and approval seeking when they are, actually, doing the opposite and extracting the love from us for us to experience. They are not remodelling aspects of themselves in exchange for approval but are simply being themselves and empowering us to do the same.

It can be a challenge to accept who we truly are and love ourselves as unconditionally as our animal companions do.

Social expectations, learnt behaviour and conditioned thinking are a few reasons for our hesitation to truly acknowledge and love ourselves completely. There are positives, however, and that is that these factors, with practise and patience, are changeable.

We will always encounter others hinting, or sledgehammering into us, the need to change aspects of our self but pause to consider why they are wanting that change. For their social comfort? Maybe we are mirroring issues they are uncomfortable, or not ready, to address within themselves. Sometimes others would like the life they envisaged for themselves lived out through another.

We must reconnect with our own Soul’s purpose and honour it.  It is not for us to become a watered down version of someone else’s existence.

Try seeing yourself as your companion does, without expectation or judgement. Past the physical and deep into your core. Feel the energy of your true self, the light within you, your Soul. The Soul is where we are our true selves, our pure selves.

Feel yourself as the being you entered this life as, the blank canvas before society moulded you. Feel who you really are and appreciate yourself for who you have become.

See the qualities those around you appreciate and love in you.

If you were your friend, think of what you love about your friend and tell yourself these qualities.  Remind yourself regularly of these qualities.  Maybe write them down for a daily reminder.

Acknowledge the aspects of yourself that you are unsure of or feel you need to change. Why do you feel you need to change? Do you need to change? It’s certain that we will have some self-qualities which take us longer to accept than others but by not liking these, we are not liking ourselves. By not liking ourselves, we do not love ourselves and how can we love another fully if we do not love our self?

How can we expect another to love what we don’t?

Our animal companions accept us as we truly are and embrace all our quirks and charms. Why enforce pressure on ourselves to modify our existence for another human?

When we do become fully aware of who we truly are and accept who we chose to be, feelings of release, peace and freedom replace those of uncertainty, anxiety and neediness.  Living as our animal companions do, existing as our Soul intended, releases so much conflict and allows us to live with confidence and clarity.

We then begin to truly live and exist as ourselves and not for others.