If you stumbled upon this blog post and are ready to take action toward a more meaningful life then start here.
When I plan the order of blog posts and podcasts, I think about, “what do you need to hear right now?”
First, we talked about figuring where you are headed. That is most important. You have to know what you want to figure out your next steps.
Next, we talked about the “how to say no without saying no” and how we can turn it into a game of practice so that when we do have to say no it doesn’t feel awkward. In fact, it will come more naturally because you’ve practiced, you’re better at it and you know why you are saying no (because you’ve started your “meaningful life list!”)
So, I want to take a step back and practice self care and why how you talk to yourself or THINK about yourself is important. Here are some simple tools to us when you are beating yourself up
1.There is only one person in your life that you can always count on – no matter what. I’m guessing you have figured that out – it’s you. No matter how rich, smart or talented you are, if you are always telling yourself that you aren’t good enough, you are always going to come from a place of scarcity.
You’re going to feel unhappy, exhausted or un-welcomed, When you feel that way, you don’t want to be around meaningful connections or to reach for things that will make you happier. Instead, you might drink, over eat or sleep all day. I’ve done all of those things at some point in my life.
Instead, In anything that you are going through like mistakes or hardships, you can look at it as a learning opportunity. Practicing that mindset and that positive attitude will take you so much further than if you replay the story of your failure. That’s in the past. Do you know how many people have succeeded because of landing flat on their face? You can’t change what you did…but you can easily change what you make it mean. There have been so many examples in my own life that because of something bad…..it led to something good. So, whatever story you are replaying change it because whether you realize it or not your brain is listening and it affects you emotionally and physically.
2. Treat yourself how you would treat your best friend. If you don’t know next steps or if you are in a rut what would you tell your best friend to do if they were in the situation? If they were feeling down you wouldn’t say, “I agree, you’re a big loser and I’m surprised you got out of bed today.” No, you would say, “You are amazing. You are the best person I know. You’ve got this. How can I help you.” I think most of us are kinder to other people than we are to ourselves.
3. Start a journal. It is the most powerful tool for self development. You can write it, type it on your laptop, put it on your iPhone in notes or make a voice recording. The reason journals are so important is because you can look back a couple weeks, months or longer and see the things that you went through and got through fine. Whatever you’re struggling with it shows how you’ve improved with small actions every day. The process of getting the words out of your mind and on paper is therapeutic – it helps you talk about what’s going on, how you feel and possible next steps. It just works…I don’t know the science behind it but reading old journals from when I didn’t think I was going to survive motherhood or a new job my journal confirmed…that I did.
Hey! I’m loving the emails I’m getting and I want to hear from you on our facebook page at Meaningful Life Quest or email meaningfullifequest@gmail.com! Tell me how you cope with negative thoughts or self talk!
Thanks so much,
Jen
