I think it’s safe to say that the biggest critic in our lives is ourselves. As people, we tend to analyze every detail of our lives from the color of our phone case to the texture of the clothing we’re wearing to even the atmosphere around us.
What if instead of criticizing and weighing ourselves down with pressure, we start to be proud of where we are right now in the present– not what we have to do tomorrow, not what happened yesterday, but what is going on right here, right now.
Think about it– when was the last time you took a step back and said, “Wow, I am really proud of all I have accomplished?” Rarely, almost never, right? Now don’t get me wrong, making a Tik Tok showing all you have accomplished in hopes of becoming as famous as Addison Rae is a great way to do that. But to sit down with yourself and say, “I have come a long way,” is the type of empowerment needed for your well-being.
Hearing a million strangers say that they are proud of you is amazing! It’s liberating, emotional even. But to hear it from yourself can do more than words can describe for your mental health It’s hard to admit that at times, we feel like our lives are falling apart and that at any given moment, we will be named the world’s biggest failure.
But the little moments matter too.
Be proud that you decided to take that morning class. Be proud that you are working on yourself. Be proud that you are alive! Be proud that you are growing into what younger you used to only daydream about.
You don’t need to be filthy rich and covered in the most expensive clothing to be proud of yourself. You don’t need to drive the fanciest car to feel proud. Social media will try and convince you that in order to feel like you actually are succeeding in life, that you need to have luxury, that you need to wake up at 6:00 am to go to the gym, school, and work and even look a
certain way to be proud of who you are and where you are in life. But none of that matters if you aren’t being unapologetically you.
So be happy. Do what makes you feel alive inside. Be intelligent. Be creative. Be whatever it is that your heart desires. At the end of the day, you only have you, I only have me, so why not spend every waking moment, being proud of all the little things, and the big things that you have done, and will do?