“What was she thinking?”
“I can’t believe she did that!”
“She really needs to get her act together.”

Ever said (or thought) something similar?

Isn’t it easy to judge the people around us when they do something that doesn’t meet our expectations? And, isn’t it even easier to judge ourselves?

The truth is this type of judgement is simply setting ourselves up for disappointment and disconnection!

Not only are we unable to meet up to the expectations of others, but we can’t even keep up with our own expectations of ourselves. Living in the cage of “should” or “could” locks us away from our natural creativity and curiosity – preventing us from growing to our true potential.

Recently, I was in deep meditation asking for guidance, and I realized that I was being distracted by my judgment of others…and even myself.

I realized that even the slightest thought colored by judgement can be destructive – even if it’s just a silly comparison. It can take me off course from who I want to be and how I want to show up.

Frankly, my biggest realization was my own self-judgement.

I didn’t realize how hard I can be on myself and how that’s an obstacle that prevents me from fulfilling my purpose on a daily basis. These aren’t necessarily deep insecurities, but they are often fleeting thoughts that don’t align with who I want to be.

As we work on becoming a better version of ourselves, we don’t want to stop being a certain way or drastically change our behavior. Instead, we want to transform a feeling or emotion into something more productive and less damaging. We do this by noticing how the transformation feels in our body.

The key is to transform judgement into curiosity.

When we become curious about a concept, idea, or opinion, we leave room open for interpretation. We create a space where we can explore while introducing compassion and mercy. Our perspective can change without shutting the door through the introduction of judgement. Curiosity gives us fluidity instead of the stagnation felt by judgement.

Curiosity creates space for openness and aliveness through compassion.

Catching yourself in the midst of a judgmental thought takes discipline, but realizing that you can be free from its cage makes it worth trying.

Where do you feel you can be more curious and less judgmental?

Interested in how I can help you release judgement and experience curiosity? Contact me at maria@mariamahboubi.com.