Reality check…you’re only 25!
Taking a few steps back here and there is something I’ve had to do a lot more, recently. I’m often too zoomed in on my life and I forget to take in:
A) what’s currently happening around me
B) what’s to come
C) all the moments that got me to this point
I’ve realized that this is super unhealthy to always be looking at your life through a microscope. More often than not the aforementioned are the most important factors in your success. If you’re constantly nagging on those zoomed-in moments of your life you’ll miss the bigger more influential ones that help guide you towards what’s to come.
For example, I find myself becoming hyper-focused (not in a healthy way) on growing my business each and every day. Why is this an unhealthy thing to be doing you may wonder? Well, it isn’t, it’s the way I’m doing it that’s unhealthy. I all too often go onto Instagram and sit and compare myself to accounts I think I know or to ones I’ve just stumbled across. When I do this I spiral into a dark hole of doubt. I start to self-deprecate and think “why on Earth would this be something I thought I could do that would be different than every other person doing this on Instagram?” or “great, that person just did the exact same DIY project I was planning on doing next…now I can’t do it or I’ll look like I’m copying.” or even “I’m so pathetic thinking I could build this into an actual business.”
These are sentences that I embarrassingly admit I’ve said to myself. Would I ever say these things to a friend of mine? NEVER! I would instead encourage them to follow what they think they are capable of doing. I would cheer them on and make them feel good about what they are pursuing. So why the heck am I saying these harsh things to myself? Why do I feel it’s okay to tear myself down like this instead of building myself up? Because it’s easy. It’s too dang easy and comfortable to be your own worst critic and to picture failure vs success.
So I have been working on this. By no means am I 100% better and always cheering myself on, but I have improved and started noticing when I am about to doubt myself. When I notice this, I try to redirect my thoughts to what I have accomplished thus far and what I could do in the future. After I do this, I tend to feel more encouraged and empowered to keep creating. Is this hard? ABSOLUTELY. Do I fail at redirecting my thoughts? ALL THE TIME. But the key is that I’m noticing and adjusting.
The biggest thing I try to remind myself is that I AM ONLY 25 YEARS OLD! I’ve been told I am a mature 25-year-old, and honestly, I think I’m a 35-year-old stuck in a 25-year-old’s body. HAHA! However, I am 25 and what that means is that I have so much life left to find my full success. To prove that I am taking the right steps. To have those experiences that all these intimidating other Instagram accounts have had. I have to take that step back from being zoomed in and recognize that I am at a different stage in my life and I need to be happy and prideful of that! I need to be proud of what I have accomplished thus far because it’s more than I even imagined. Heck, I own a business and I’m 25! That’s pretty cool!
Currently, I am working on growing my business outside of Instagram and putting effort into making true connections with people. I am imagining my success and I am excited for what’s to come in the next 25 years of my life!
Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever had similar feelings or if this resonated with you in some way.
