“I’m an anxious person.”
“I have a temper.”
“I don’t like to communicate.”
“I have a tendency to become addicted.”
“I am easily stressed.”
I understand and empathize with all these things. I get it. We all go through things like this. We all struggle. We all have weaknesses. It is great to admit these things because I believe that getting to know yourself is one of your main jobs in life.
But after you learn and admit these things about yourself, then what? You have two options:
1. “That’s just who I am.”
There’s a defeatist comment if I ever heard one. This stops all growth, all person evolution. “That’s just who I am” is a blatant, unapologetic refusal to improve oneself. It’s when you know you aren’t being your best, but meh, you’re fine with it. You might tell yourself that it’s because you are unable to change. But that’s just not true, and deep down you know it. We all have the ability to be better today than we were yesterday. You only tell yourself you can’t change because you’re afraid. Afraid that it’s too much work to improve yourself. It’s too much effort to be a better human being. It’s too hard to make your life easier. But if you’re content to be “just who you are” then you’re truly stuck - actually you’re worse than stuck. If you’re not moving yourself forward, then you’re moving backward. Forward or backward. Those are your only choices. (Sorry if that hurt your feelings, but if I don’t say this to you, who will?)
2. “But I’m working on it.”
Oh heck yes! Do you feel the buzz of life with this simple phrase? “I’m an anxious person, but I’m working on it.” This phrase is built on hope, effort, self-love, and character. Just committing to working on yourself is the first step to actually working on yourself! Because if one of your important jobs is to get to know yourself, the only other job you have is to make yourself better. You are an evolving person. You are not the same person you were last week, last month, last year. I’ve been told that your nose and ears never stop growing, and nor should your character! Use your “weaknesses” as rocket fuel to propel you forward. When you rise above your weaknesses, you don’t just get stronger, you shine like the sun.
Ask yourself, what are your weaknesses?
And is that just the way you are, or are you working on it?
Here’s to Conquering Stress,
The Stress Experts
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