This letter is about you, but I thought it might be easier if I explore why I’m so hard on myself and maybe you can take something from it.
How’s that?
I didn’t grow up bathing in an atmosphere of warm encouragement. At home, at school, at church.
Just writing that feels disappointing. Because aren’t your home, your teacher, and your religion, supposed to edify you?
Sure, there was some encouragement. Especially when I followed the rules.
But when I acted out on my own as my authentic self, there was rebuke, discipline, and correction.
Mix that with a gentle, introverted, and naïve personality, and you have the recipe for being hard on yourself.
Do you relate?
I saw a video the other day of a man being interviewed by Jay Shetty. He was talking about the Law of Attraction. I’m suspicious of a lot of that stuff. But this guy was saying that it is better to think of it as the Law of Resonance. He said that instead of the Universe giving you what you want, it gives you what you are.
Whether you believe this stuff or not is not material to my point. What is material is the next thing he said.
He said something to the effect… if you’re thinking like this:
👉 “Why don’t I ever have enough money?”
👉 “Why is everything so difficult for me?”
👉 “Why can’t I seem to get my name out there?”
👉 “Why is focusing on my health so hard?”
Then your life will be full of frustration, disappointment, and hopelessness. Right?
Instead, why not think like this:
👉 “Why can I always find ways to make more money?
👉 “Why do I achieve so much in spite of all the opposition?”
👉 “Why do more people know about me now than last year?”
👉 “Why am I healthier than ever before?”
Here is where we can dig into our determination, courage, and optimism. Right?
It hit me how, because I’m hard on myself, I tend to think the first way… why is nothing working? It made me realize I could just as easily say… Why, even though I have challenges, are things getting better for me?
Do you see what I mean?
Do you relate?
Or should I ask myself, “Why is this only happening to Meeeeeeeeee?????”
(See what I did there? LOL)
