Word have meaning.

So the other day, I wrote in my journal something that I should say to myself, kind of as a mantra:

Never be ashamed of the things that give you joy.

I thought it made sense, and would be a good thing. It wasn't until I was thinking about it today that I realized there was something wrong with it. That word, ashamed. That's not a good word. That's not a motivating word. 

That statement is me trying to be defensive against some mysterious force. That is me having to defend myself again what others might think about me. To protect myself from something that it's really there, or at least something that I shouldn't really need to protect myself from. 

That is the opposite of getting rid of the anxiety. I think that feeling on needing to protect myself like that is exactly whats CAUSING my anxiety. 

I thought at first that maybe saying "I'm proud of the things", but that's still from the same thread of thinking. The need to prove to someone that what they think of me doesn't matter, but then, the fact that I have to prove it means that it really does matter to me.

So maybe something different. Maybe something that I tell myself to REMIND myself, rather than having to DEFEND myself. So I came up with this:

Love the things that give you joy. 

I know it's not exactly the newest line of thinking. It's that little change that makes all the difference, It's that little bit that makes me have to remember to give myself joy, rather than protecting that joy from some perceived threat that's not even really there.