"Quit beating yourself up."

I’m sharing this because I care. I realize that as I’m saying this I’m not talking directly to you, but trust me when I tell you that I am talking to you. 

You’re a beautiful, flawed, one of a kind, perfectly imperfect human being. 

You’ve made mistakes and you’ll make some more. You’ve fallen short of being the person you know you can be but you’ve gotten back up. You have what it takes inside you to overcome any obstacle because that’s exactly what you’ve done every time in the past (and if you haven’t overcome it yet then you’re simply in progress).

I imagine you’re one of your toughest critics - Finding fault in big and small things, and not giving full credit to what you’ve accomplished. But know that it’s not a bad thing! It means that you have high standards for yourself and that you genuinely care about the contribution you’re making to the world and others.

In order to start meeting expectations and showing up as everything you know you can be, you need to quit beating yourself up.

Think about what that term translates to. When you beat someone up it means that you assault them, injuring them and leaving them stranded. You violate their safety and create damage that takes time to repair.

While we don’t do this physically to ourselves, on a daily basis we do a version of it emotionally and spiritually. We’re so hard on ourselves when we try something and fail. We turn a mistake into a personal attack on our character and capabilities. Our self-esteem can so easily be shattered by the smallest lapses, and it’s no wonder why our self-confidence is so fragile.

But you can replace this negative voice with one that’s empowering and understanding. You can lead with grace and come from a place of self-love, even when you feel like you don’t deserve it. Any time you catch yourself criticizing your actions, choices, or level of results, transplant your disapproval with acceptance.

How? Pick a mantra to say instead. Catch yourself in the negativity and consciously replace it. And every time you use it and interrupt the previous pattern, you train your brain to think differently. Pick a mantra that’s authentic to you so that it resonates and impacts you.

Unknowingly, the mantra I’ve been using is “I’m in the game! Good for me.” To me this reminds me that I don’t get disappointing results without trying new things or allowing myself to dream bigger, and in saying this mantra I acknowledge that. 

I say all of this for one reason - You are a genuinely awesome person, with a ton of potential. And when you stop allowing yourself to think otherwise, imagine how fired up you’ll be when you start seeing it too?