5 Seemingly Basic Things To Start Giving Yourself More Credit For
Though I’m an optimist, I’ve a realist above all. And the reality is – life is tough and it can suck. So at some point in my young adult-life, I decided to start giving myself more credit for things my more former perfectionist self would’ve never thought to give credit for. That’s because I was always “results” centric when it came to congratulating myself, instead of being focused and proud of my efforts. At the end of the day, I can control my efforts but I can’t control the outcome of them.
Changing my point of view to celebrate more of my smaller wins (from simply trying to surviving) has done wonders for my overall self-esteem and mood. With that said, check out five things that you too should start giving yourself way more credit for.
Procrastination
Yep, you read that one correctly. Not to glamorize the anxiety-induced stress levels that come with procrastination, but at least you haven’t given up entirely on doing the work. You just need to better your time management and organization skills, as well as work on your overall discipline.
I actually read a tweet recently that stated, “Most perfectionists are procrastinators because anxiety makes it difficult to start a project unless you’re sure you can do it perfectly. We often call it lazy, but that’s not accurate. You’re probably very energetic when you feel empowered and capable.” In some cases, procrastination and trauma have also been proven to be linked to one another, so that’s something to consider as well.
But to be fair, you’re still willing to do the work while others have entirely lost the motivation to do anything (and to be clear, that’s not to put them down either. Mental health impacts us all very differently). At the end of the day my fellow procrastinators – you still give a damn and you still give it a try. Had you completely given up on yourself, you wouldn’t do the work at all.
Trying
“Nothing beats a failure but a try.” – RJ Smith
Please stop mistaking rejection for failure. I repeat, PLEASE STOP CONFUSING REJECTION FOR FAILURE. In order to be rejected, you must have first tried, right?
My good friend constantly tells me the above quote from RJ Smith and I’ve always enjoyed hearing it and being reminded that “trying” grants us the right to avoid self-loathing and utter low self-esteem.
I’ve tried and been rejected more times than I can count. What I’ve learned is, start celebrating your effort and not just your results. Celebrate and clap at your efforts instead of crying at your rejection. Easier said than done? Yes. But is it worth it? Absolutely.
Getting Up & Getting Out
Doing the minimum is still movement. If you got out of bed, brushed your teeth, brushed your hair and went from pajama bottoms to leggings (despite any plans to actually work out) good for you. Extra credit if you managed to get outside of the house!
These are tough times. And by “these” I mean life in general. All day. Everyday. Adult-ing is overrated sometimes and overwhelming at all times.
So if you’ve found yourself in somewhat of an apathetic mood, you’re not alone. Adulthood will do that to you and in these ongoing pandemic times, ’tis the season, eh? Even for those in cities where things are slowly getting back to normal, we’re still very much impacted by the events of last year and triggered.
However, if you’ve found yourself slowly but surely getting back into the groove of your old self, give yourself some credit. Even a small step forward is a step in the right direction. Hey, even just standing still is still standing. Either way, you have not entirely given up on yourself – you’re just in a rut. Kudos to you!
*Not* Saving But Still Getting The Bills Paid
Ok, so let’s be clear, I’m a huge believer of saving money and spending responsibly. I’m also the person who didn’t get her finances in order until later in life, so I can speak from fresh experiences. Don’t be too hard on yourself if your peers have managed to manage their money more efficiently than you, while you’re still struggling to have any surplus money between paychecks.
If you’re:
- A) managing to pay all your bills monthly and
- B) not accumulating any massive debt
guess what? You’re not bad with money, you just either
- A) need help with money management or
- B) could use a job (or raise) that allows you to cover your bills and save.
Either way, if you’re paying your bills, have no debt but still have little in your savings, pat yourself on the back. The discipline is clearly there for the *mandatory* things. You just need to start putting that same effort towards your surplus and savings. My suggestion? Please start using a budget tracker to visualize your spending and get down to the problem area(s).
Surviving
If you’ve ever taken a standardized test in school, you’ll know that you get points just for writing in your name.
Well, this isn’t meant to be intended as a freebie credit. Surviving is no easy act, as life can be very tough and extremely unpredictable. Our physical and mental health is constantly being threatened in today’s times so this is me reminding you to give yourself a pat on the back for choosing life today. For choosing yourself.
Just like people who say “I’ll start my diet next week,” until they actually go on that diet, don’t be too hard on yourself for saying “Tomorrow I’ll start that project,” or “Tomorrow I’ll get out the house.” Today’s problems is enough to get through, so focus on that.
