I will NOT beat myself up when I don’t get everything accomplished.
Photo from FreeDigitalPhotos.net. Photographer: Stuart MilesI will be positive with myself.
I will follow my new plans to the best of my ability.
I will encourage myself to let go of mistakes.
No those aren’t lines from Stuart Smalley (an old Saturday Night Live character). They are honest to goodness thoughts I need to hold closely and remind myself of every single day.
I have completed my first week of taking more purposeful and proactive steps toward getting more accomplished with less chaos and effort. Very quickly I came face to face with what can be my biggest roadblock. Me!
As soon as I committed to accomplishing these small steps to achieve greater results, the voice of doubt stepped up and waited for the opportunity to say “I told you so.” This voice that I want to avoid (by doing everything just right) is the very same voice that can prevent me from achieving the success I want.
I’m sure if you’ve read any inspirational books, you’ve heard that you can be your own worst enemy. It may sound trite, but for me it is so true. And I believe for many of us, we are our own worst critics. So these commitments I have made – these small steps toward a greater more prosperous and profitable life – need a clause added to them: I will not berate myself when I don’t do everything just the right way.
Notice I said “when” and not “if.” That’s because of course I’m not going to get it all right! And for those of you who may struggle with this self-deprecating issue, I ask: would you harshly criticize a child or a student you were teaching if they were earnestly working toward a goal and messed up a few things? Or would you encourage them? Tell them it’s okay? Tell them to keep working at it? My guess is you would want to encourage them (I think you’re all well-intentioned people). Take that same thought process and empathy and apply it to yourself. And I will do the same.
Now don’t go berating yourself because you forget to not berate yourself! Sheesh. You know who you are.
Okay, so how did I do with my new agenda this last week?
I started back to blogging last week and this will be my second week. Already I’m more consistent (encouragement).
I made up a social media calendar for blogging, Linkedin posts, and Twitter, and only missed one day (no berating).
I will keep working at these things until they become more habitual before I add more to my plate. In actuality, it takes on average 66 days to form a new habit (contrary to other legends). So I will try to be patient – like the 20-mile march – and not try to take on too much, thus sabotaging my success.
Please leave a comment below on how you encourage yourself! Or maybe this in and of itself will be your new habit to form. Share your thoughts!
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If you missed my previous article, go back and read it to understand the 20-mile march reference.