As I’ve been building new habits over the years, I’ve noticed most people, myself included, forget about one important part of the process: celebrating the small wins. It becomes so easy to focus on the goal exclusively that the thousands of small victories required to get there are completely overlooked or pale in comparison to the big successes. That sucks the joy out of life faster than hearing the words, “You’ve been summoned for jury duty.” And those words kill joy pretty quickly. In my opinion, we all need to give ourselves infinitely more credit in the process. These early experiences and lessons come long before the finish line and are typically the most challenging part. Creating new pathways in the brain is difficult, and it takes time. Reaching the finish line feels great, but what about the days you feel proud because you chose to show up when you didn’t want to and maintained that momentum? Those days are the building blocks of the entire goal. That’s where the magic, the learning, and the transformation happen. Credit shouldn’t just be reserved for the sparkle. It’s not all about the medal, the award, the speech, the champagne, or the confetti….
It was the day you woke up asking God, “What’s wrong with me?” It was the moment the thoughts were overwhelming so you crawled into bed and cried yourself to sleep. It was the morning you spent trying to figure out why the panic was there at the same time you had to calm yourself. It was the day you googled “what is wrong with me?” It was the journal entry that made you realize even talking about the shame would leave you feeling shameful, so you decided to keep it to yourself. It was the thought “someone has it worse than me, I should be grateful” playing on repeat. Maybe it was the day that made you feel like even leaving bed was too much to ask. Those moments, those heavy days, they’re really hard. I know, I’ve been there. It feels like you’re lifting the weight of your entire life, feeling the decades stack upon each other as the future grows darker. You think to yourself, “I can’t keep going like this. If the rest is going to be this hard, I can’t keep going like this. I need help.” I wish I could make you see how…
This morning, I woke to a sea of self-doubt. Asking myself, “Who do you think you are to be starting a business? Who do you think you are to be doing any of this?! Slow your roll, girl!” What a horrible way to start the day! Does this ever happen to you? Me, too. In the signature of my email I have one of my favorite phrases, she believed she could and so she did. I’ve always loved the simplicity of that sentence. The beauty of it is, it really is that simple. If you honestly believe, you really can achieve what you desire. Belief can, and does, take a dreamer and worker all the way to the finish line. There are countless stories throughout history to teach us that – belief creates change. The problem is, we allow ourselves to get caught in the self-doubt trap. And that is completely natural. Self-doubt boils down to one thing: fear. When I start to doubt myself, I pull out my journal and write until the truth reveals itself. It always does. Fear takes many forms: self-doubt, anxiety, stress, anger, frustration, sarcasm, insecurity, and, many times, over-confidence. We fear vulnerability, failure, heartbreak,…
Celebrate before the finish line
As I’ve been building new habits over the years, I’ve noticed most people, myself included, forget about one important part of the process: celebrating the small wins. It becomes so easy to focus on the goal exclusively that the thousands of small victories required to get there are completely overlooked or pale in comparison to the big successes. That sucks the joy out of life faster than hearing the words, “You’ve been summoned for jury duty.” And those words kill joy pretty quickly. In my opinion, we all need to give ourselves infinitely more credit in the process. These early experiences and lessons come long before the finish line and are typically the most challenging part. Creating new pathways in the brain is difficult, and it takes time. Reaching the finish line feels great, but what about the days you feel proud because you chose to show up when you didn’t want to and maintained that momentum? Those days are the building blocks of the entire goal. That’s where the magic, the learning, and the transformation happen. Credit shouldn’t just be reserved for the sparkle. It’s not all about the medal, the award, the speech, the champagne, or the confetti….
For the Hard Days
It was the day you woke up asking God, “What’s wrong with me?” It was the moment the thoughts were overwhelming so you crawled into bed and cried yourself to sleep. It was the morning you spent trying to figure out why the panic was there at the same time you had to calm yourself. It was the day you googled “what is wrong with me?” It was the journal entry that made you realize even talking about the shame would leave you feeling shameful, so you decided to keep it to yourself. It was the thought “someone has it worse than me, I should be grateful” playing on repeat. Maybe it was the day that made you feel like even leaving bed was too much to ask. Those moments, those heavy days, they’re really hard. I know, I’ve been there. It feels like you’re lifting the weight of your entire life, feeling the decades stack upon each other as the future grows darker. You think to yourself, “I can’t keep going like this. If the rest is going to be this hard, I can’t keep going like this. I need help.” I wish I could make you see how…
My Castle in the Sky
This morning, I woke to a sea of self-doubt. Asking myself, “Who do you think you are to be starting a business? Who do you think you are to be doing any of this?! Slow your roll, girl!” What a horrible way to start the day! Does this ever happen to you? Me, too. In the signature of my email I have one of my favorite phrases, she believed she could and so she did. I’ve always loved the simplicity of that sentence. The beauty of it is, it really is that simple. If you honestly believe, you really can achieve what you desire. Belief can, and does, take a dreamer and worker all the way to the finish line. There are countless stories throughout history to teach us that – belief creates change. The problem is, we allow ourselves to get caught in the self-doubt trap. And that is completely natural. Self-doubt boils down to one thing: fear. When I start to doubt myself, I pull out my journal and write until the truth reveals itself. It always does. Fear takes many forms: self-doubt, anxiety, stress, anger, frustration, sarcasm, insecurity, and, many times, over-confidence. We fear vulnerability, failure, heartbreak,…