Whether it’s New Year’s Day, Rosh Hashanah, or any old day you simply have the blues about the way your life is currently going, sometimes we can get into mind-spiral that seems pretty universal. It sings a song to the tune of something like this:
What I did accomplish? (Which wasn’t enough, somehow!)
What I did NOT accomplish?
What others around me did or didn’t do…
How I’d like our life & world to be, well, a little bit different. (A lot different, let’s be f*ckin real, here!)
But while you are thinking about all of the myriad and many things you did and did not do, the relationships that failed and left you unfulfilled, the life that isn’t yours, I’d like to challenge you to reflect and think hard about what you really DO want …
It goes without saying that our Instagram age has turned many of us into, well… spectators of our own, and everyone else’s, lives. Spectators who may be comparing and contrasting all the while...
You think you have things figured out- but the sudden pop or post of someone else’s life seems a testament to things that haven’t shaken out quite the way you’d liked...
But consider this: It is so important to hold fast and steady to what is really important to you, what you truly do value. Maybe, sometimes, you are embarrassed that you don’t even really give a sh*t about owning a big home. Or you never, not really, wanted to get married in the first place (or you wish that you hadn’t!) Or perhaps, the pressure of having money was something you never signed up for in the first place, and you want out of the rat race…
Be honest with yourself: You have created this life. It is your very own. Now is the time to start appreciating this creation, even if part of your mind wants to convince you that it’s not good enough. Start spinning your story UP-wards instead of into a dreary, bleak spiral of complaint and regret, and stop comparing your own life with everyone else’s. You have made your own choices. Now, it’s time to own them, baby! And how exciting that you have the strength, the moxie and ability to do this right now. Trust me, that friend with a bunch of kids in their perfect house wishes she was you more often than you know. And there is always time to adjust the things you thought were set in stone. Take it easy on yourself…
I also want to share a wonderful post by Gratitude App Founder Aarushi Tewari, “The Way to True Self-Acceptance” on the Gratitude Blog. It further touches on what we’re talking about here, and has some great, proactive steps you can take to get closer to embracing your story, and how far you’ve come.
And please…remember: Just give yourself some credit, some real credit. You have survived a lot, endured, enjoyed and lived through your own journey this far. NO one has a story quite as unique and beautiful and resonant as your own. Own it, and embrace it. It’s yours, and it’s beautiful putty in your hands. Look back on what you have done, and mold it into something you can be proud of, even in your own mind. You are the only one you ever have to impress... YOU. xo