Life can seem like such a struggle sometimes.
Just the day-to-day routine of work, family, managing a tight schedule, trying to take care of yourself and everyone else at the same time – it’s no wonder that so many of us are feeling overwhelmed and under appreciated.
It’s difficult to count on anyone to help you out, to ease things for you. No one knows exactly how you are feeling. Unfortunately most people have too much going on in their own lives to really care.
So you feel alone, surrounded by people and the busyness of life but somehow isolated at the same time.
There is only one person you can count on to have your back, to be there for you through every good time and every bad one.
It’s you.
Are you your own biggest cheerleader? Or are you another critic, more than ready to jump in with unflattering criticism every step of the way?
We sometimes talk to ourselves in ways we would never consider talking to someone else. We can be hateful, hurtful, and harmful.
In desiring to be and have more, we forget to celebrate all that we already are. We don’t like how we look, how our bodies are, we are too short, too tall, too fat, too thin, too old, too stupid, too shy, too everything and anything that keeps us from being perfect.
What does perfect look like anyways?
We judge ourselves against others, most likely celebrities who appear as though they have everything we think we want. Fame, fortune, good looks and nice cars, all the stuff we think would be amazing to possess. We envy their lives, and chastise ourselves for not being rich, or famous, or more important.
Then the media reports that one of these celebrities was arrested for domestic violence, or is going to rehab, or needs therapy for mental health issues.
This happens so often that it isn’t even shocking. Somehow the illusion of happiness is just a mirage in many cases.
And still, in spite of the evidence that fame and money and everything that goes with it isn’t the secret to happiness, many people would still leap at the chance to have it.
What’s missing is the satisfaction of the soul. The ability to live authentically from a position of strength and integrity from within is gone.
When everything becomes externally focused, or when what you have on the outside is more important to you than what is going on inside, then there is a gap between what you think you need to make you complete and who you already are.
At some point you mistakenly believe that having wealth in the physical world is more important than being rich inside.
Then when you don’t have the riches or the fame or the beauty, you allow envy to consume you. It is a destructive emotion indeed.
You sacrifice the opportunity to live an authentic life, doing whatever it is that is unique to you and fits your skill-set because it isn’t fancy enough, or won’t make you materially rich.
Wanting what someone else has that isn’t meant for you will never bring happiness, only emptiness and grief. Step back and see what you are coveting that isn’t for you.
When you do this, it opens up a space inside where you can begin to feel appreciation for who you are and what you have. The inner critic can be silenced, and you can start to be kind instead of cruel. There will be no need to rely on anything to make you feel good about yourself, because you already know that you are enough.
Become your own biggest cheerleader. Look at how unique you are and accept that no one else is like you, and you aren’t like anyone else. Don’t try to be someone you are not, because there will never be joy in being an imposter.