Looking back, there were many times I was afraid to be great. In my mind I wanted to be, even in my heart, but in the moment there would be something inside of me that would stop myself, even self-sabotage my efforts so they would fall short of my abilities. I always had a brief moment before I did it where I was aware of it and could have stopped myself, but many times I did not. Then, I would beat myself up for not living up to my true potential, adding fuel to the narrative that I wasn’t good enough and didn’t deserve good things. That negative mindset kept me from succeeding more than I did, and those other times, I was the only one holding myself back.
Why don’t we believe in ourselves? What makes us doubt our ability or worth? For me, I was dealing with an undiagnosed mental illness and fierce hate of myself. I was my own worst enemy, wanting things to change but then often getting in my own way to make positive changes. When I had opportunities to reach a goal I was excited to have gotten the opportunity but then quickly would doubt myself or feel unworthy of it. I missed many opportunities to show what I could truly do because I listened to my head instead of my heart. It wasn’t until I learned to love myself that I was able to stop the cycle of getting in my own way and the fear of succeeding in my life. Being great at something is nothing to be ashamed of, it should be celebrated. We all are great at different things, and we should not only celebrate that greatness in ourselves but in each other.
Sometimes we look to others for permission for our greatness, and if we feel we don’t have it we hold ourselves back, not wanting to stand out or make waves, but we only hurt ourselves by not reaching our true potential, and it is not our jobs to make others feel comfortable with our abilities. If someone is not comfortable with us and what we can do that is their issue and something they need to look at within themselves, we should all be supportive of what those around us achieve and use that to perhaps inspire ourselves to reach some new goals of our own. Today, I would be lying if I said that little negative voice never comes out, but for the most part I have stopped getting in the way of my own goals, and, when I do reach them today I believe I deserve them, a big accomplishment in itself.
We all deserve to be great and to do great things, but those things start with a belief that we can and will be great. Don’t let the fear of your own success steal away your greatness, celebrate who you are, what you love and what you can achieve, and, push yourself to reach for even greater heights, if you believe it you can achieve it, you just have to start. There are many times I have had an idea or goal and have had no idea exactly how to accomplish it, but knew I just had to start and the steps will come to me as I need them, getting to work and starting is the first step, the rest will always reveal itself as you go. Get out there today and be great, and while you’re at it, encourage others to find their greatness as well. SLAY on!
SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you believe you are great? Do you believe you deserve to be great? If not, why not? Have you always believed this, or has something changed? What changed? What has stopped you from believing in yourself? How can you start again? Name something you are great at? Name something you want to be great at? What can you do to start that goal? Do you encourage or celebrate others’ greatness? How do you do that? How does that make you feel? Do you feel the same when you celebrate yourself? If not, why not? If you have trouble celebrating yourself, remind yourself how it feels to celebrate others, and allow yourself to feel the same when it comes to your own greatness. Today is a great day to be great!
S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you
State Of Slay™ 