Let's look at what Liked looks like...
Have you been to Liked before? It’s the place where you felt fully alive and fully you. It’s the place where you enjoyed yourself and any internal negative chatter either seized or just didn’t really bother you. When at this place you had a sneaking suspicion that this was where you were meant to live (and I think you were right).
Liked is the experience of being both present with and delighted in yourself. It comes at the top of the pyramid because it is acceptance fully experienced. One common question I’ve had when presenting the pyramid is, “Why isn’t love at the top? Isn’t love the most important thing…ever?” Yes, love remains the most important thing ever. Love keeps us committed to the care for ourselves and others even when we don’t feel like it. However, tell me what excites you more to hear from somebody: “I love you” or “I love you AND I like you.”
The dynamic duo of love and like is the pinnacle of acceptance. To be liked, not just loved, means you are enjoyed. When I hear proud grandparents talk about the joy they find in their grandchildren, I think of what it means to be liked deeply by someone else. For my intents and purposes, though, the book is about getting to a place where you feel that like for yourself.
What if you liked yourself more often? And what if you could have that experience without having to be a perfect student, spouse, child, athlete, meditator, church or community member? Liking yourself does not require any level of perfection or performance, but it does requires you to do the work of radically accepting yourself and then living out of that acceptance.
Talking about Liked gets me excited, because it’s where we truly get to realize and experience ourselves. As far as I’m concerned, Liked is home, and we all need to find a way back to it.
I’d love to be part of your journey to the destination of Liked. I’ll come alongside you and show you a path. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at ben@thebenthompson.com.
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