Wednesday, August 3, 2033
You’ve done well. It’s not just noticing your mistakes that helps you improve, it’s acknowledging when you’re on the right track too. Sometimes we can be so doubtful of ourselves, that we can longer tell if we’re actually doing OK. When you’re insecure, no amount of praise seems to be enough. Whose opinion really matters? How many times do you need affirmation from others before you can start doing that for yourself?
There will come a point in time where your praise will matter – praise for yourself. We all have some amount of self doubt and insecurity, but that cannot always be the law of the land. At some point you have to be confident in your own judgement of what’s right in your life. Go deep within yourself for confirmation. You can learn to rely on your own praise. Here’s the key, if you can self-criticize, then you can self-praise. It cannot be just one sided all of the time.
You know when you’ve dropped the ball, and when you’ve gone the extra mile. The universe has a funny way of confirming what’s good and what’s not, so you can learn to lean into your own intuitive gauge. Your inner spirit whispers if you’re on the right track. Your guide is not just the reactions of others. Your guide is within. It seems to be a social norm to beat ourselves up, but if you build yourself up, that seems unacceptable. Clapping for yourself, encouraging yourself, and recognizing when you’ve done well may seem haughty, but it’s not. It’s what you need, not the approval of others. Recognizing self-faults is always easy, but it’s not the whole story. Maturity means being able to trust in your own sensibilities, and to know how to build yourself up. Learn to offer meaningful encouragement to yourself, and rely on it more than the approval of others.