A positive perception of ourselves, our family members and every individual we encounter throughout our lives is one of the most important perspectives we need to obtain. We are taught that the way we perceive others is also the way they will perceive us. If we cannot see the good in ourselves, there is no question that we won’t see the good in others. The Torah’s injunction to love your friend as you love yourself (Leviticus 19:18) implies that the extent to which you love and appreciate yourself is the extent to which you are able to love your friend.
A positive self-perception lets us enjoy the position life hands us without getting hung up on what’s happening with our neighbor. With positive self-perception we can appreciate what we have achieved in life, so we can do the best we can and be grateful for every small kindness we receive from others. The color pink is ideal for helping us create a positive self-image. Pink is gentle, inculcating in us positive feelings of self-encouragement and satisfaction. It helps us stay healthy and in the pink by enabling us to maintain a positive perspective that attunes us to the sweetness of life.
The following visualization is designed to help you create a positive self-image.
Pink
Exercise I
For the next sixty seconds, please look with total focus at the pink sky pictured here, holding one hand on your forehead and your second hand on the back of your head, opposite your eyes. As you look at the picture, breathe calmly and deeply.
Relax your arms for half a minute.
Exercise II
Again, place your hands in position and read aloud as you think about the following “statement of choice.” At each pause to breathe, take a deep breath and take another look at the picture:
I choose to connect [breathe] to the healing power of the color pink [breathe] in order to release all self-punishing behaviors, [breathe] all self-destructive behaviors, [breathe] and all self-denigrating behaviors or perceptions [breathe] that block my ability to create a positive self-image [breathe].
And I choose instead [breathe] to use the healing energy that is present in the color pink [breathe] to connect to my intrinsic, essential positive self, [breathe] and to create feelings of positive self-encouragement and satisfaction, [breathe] in order to flow with healing energy [breathe] to keep myself healthy and in the pink, [breathe] and to maintain a positive perspective [breathe] that allows me to truly experience the sweetness life has to offer [breathe] in all areas of life, relationships, learning experiences and endeavor [breathe].
Relax your arms for half a minute.
Exercise III
Once more, place your hands in position. Read aloud as you think about the following “statement of choice.” At each pause to breathe, take a deep breath and take another look at the picture:
Any time in the future [breathe] when I chance to see the color pink, [breathe] whether it be the pink horizon just before sunset, [breathe] a baby dressed in pink, or a cluster of lovely pink roses, [breathe] I choose to rearouse the powerful positive energy created by this visualization [breathe] to re-enhance a positive self-image, [breathe] with gentleness and satisfaction [breathe] and with true appreciation of all of God’s kindness to me, [breathe] in all areas of life, relationships, learning experiences and endeavor [breathe].
Relax your arms for half a minute.
