Letting Go

I'm a very introspective person. I'm always digging deep down to try to figure out what I can be doing better, what I'm struggling with and how I can be a better disciple of Christ. I love this about myself! However, I also tend to be my harshest critic. Today was a rough day. I spent too much time with a microscope magnifying my shortcomings. There are SO many things I can work on and do better at. But you know what? We ALL can do better. We are all in the same boat and I need to stop thinking that I'm alone. I also need to stop thinking that being imperfect isn't okay, because it is! Our imperfections balance us, they ground us. They remind us to keep growing. God knows His children aren't perfect. That's what the Atonement of Jesus Christ is for.

Anyways, my sweet neighbor and second mom sent me an article tonight that really touched me. 

There were a few points that REALLY hit home and I wanted to share them:

1. Give up berating yourself for everything you aren’t. – Being kind to yourself in thoughts, words and actions is as important as being kind to others.  Extend yourself this courtesy.  Love yourself – your real self.  Work through your fears (dive deep), your insecurities (speak honestly and loudly), and your anger (scream into the pillow – not into the mirror, nor the people you care about; they don’t deserve it.)  Instead of hurting yourself by hiding from your problems, help yourself grow beyond them.  That’s what self-care is all about.  It’s about facing the inner issues that make you believe that you are less than you are.  It’s learning to see that you are already beautiful.  Not because you’re blind to your shortcomings, but because you know they have to be there to balance out your strengths. 

2. Give up thinking that everyone else has it so much easier than you. – When times get really tough, remember this simple truth: Nothing that’s worthwhile is ever easy.  And when you’re struggling with something that’s important to you, and you feel like your life isn’t fair, look at all the people around you and realize that every single person you see is struggling with something, and to them, it’s just as hard as what you’re going through.

3. Give up wanting to be where others are in life. – Stop comparing where you’re at with where everybody else is.  It doesn’t move you farther ahead, improve your situation, or help you find happiness.  It just fuels feelings of inadequacy and shame, and ultimately keeps you stuck.  The truth is, there is no one correct path in life.  A path that’s right for someone else won’t necessarily be a path that’s right for you.  And that’s OK.  Your journey isn’t right or wrong, or good or bad – it’s just different.  Your life isn’t meant to look exactly like anyone else’s because you aren’t exactly like anyone else.  You’re a person all your own with a unique set of goals, obstacles, dreams, and needs.  So stop comparing and start living.  You may not always end up where you intend to go, but you will eventually arrive precisely where you need to be.  Trust that you are in the right place at the right time, right now.  And trust yourself to make the best of it.  

4. Give up over-thinking and worrying about everything. – When your fears and anxieties have you looking too deep into things, it creates problems – it doesn’t fix them.  If you think and you think and you think, you will think yourself right out of happiness a thousand times over, and never once into it.  Worrying doesn’t take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace and potential.  And life is too short for that.

I hope these help you as much as they helped me. I'm going to read these truths every morning. I'm grateful that I am always trying a little harder to be a little better. Onward and upward!