We all know that it can be hard to stay motivated, and it becomes increasingly difficult if we wait to obtain encouragement and acknowledgement from outside sources in order to feel validated. It is your responsibility to truly become your biggest fan, start rooting for yourself! This doesn’t mean that you think you are perfect and have nothing else to learn (you never stop learning), but it means that you believe in your capacity for success, in your value as a human being, and that you love the person you are. We all struggle with self-love and tend to be our worst critics, but we need to start practicing self-compassion, acknowledging that nobody is perfect (including yourself) and that all you can do is try your hardest and enjoy the moment. Don’t get caught up clinging to the past or looking to the future. It is important to have short-term and long-term goals, but it is also necessary to take the time to enjoy the everyday. When was the last time you took the time to breath and look at the sky, to read a book for pleasure, or to look at yourself in the mirror and look at all of your positive traits instead of criticizing what’s wrong? Here are a few tips you can use to empower yourself and love who you are:
Build your self-esteem
Give yourself a compliment every day. We are so used to addressing everything that we think is negative about ourselves that we forget there is more to us. You can learn to love all the things that make you special.
Scattered notes
Periodically leave random notes of encouragement or lessons to be learned throughout your home. You will find them when you need them. You could also ask your guests to do this and hide them for you to find at a later time.
Personal timeline
Create a visual timeline where you show where you were in life 5 to 10 years ago, how your personality was back then, and the struggles you had to overcome. Do the same for the present, and in the future (5-10 years from now). Note how you’ve grown, what you’ve learned, and how you want to improve. This will serve as a reminder of how far you’ve come from who you were, the amazing person you are today, and a goal to work for.
Negativity be gone
Do yourself a favor and ditch your negative friends. I have had friends that all they do is complain about their miserable life and how life just sucks, etc. People have bad moments, but when you refuse to change what’s making your life that way, it becomes your own fault. Surrounding yourself with people like that will only harm you.
Love how you look
I know that sometimes you just don’t like how you look and want to throw in the towel (everyone goes through this), but that’s when you need to go the extra mile and push through. Even if you want to wear sweats and that over-sized shirt…DON’T! Do a self-care routine instead, turn on some music, pick a better outfit you know you usually like, do your hair, etc. When you do a self-care routine (face mask, hair mask, teeth whitening, body scrub, etc) your mood changes, you are going against the initial “I hate how I look today” to “I will love myself and make myself feel good”. While you do this, look at your positive traits, and tell yourself what they are. You will feel much better afterwards.
Reward yourself
When you accomplish anything, don’t wait for other people to praise or reward you… reward yourself! Take yourself out to buy something special, maybe a walk at the park, a nice coffee time or dinner, or anything that makes you happy… You deserve it!
Stimulate your brain
Find something that interests you and go for it. Finding something new you can learn or do makes you feel stronger, smarter, more interesting, and builds your confidence.
These are only a few things to get you started, but there is so much more you can do, the key is to appreciate the wonderful human being you are, build up your confidence and become your best friend.
Tell me, what builds you up?
Stay true – Chantal
The Pursuit Diaries 