There are steps we take in life that seem like a natural progression, and there are some steps we take that seem to be beyond the reach of our natural ability. I was at a women's meet-up this week and heard the speaker say, "As we step out to face the areas in which we most need to grow, rather than meeting our growth with acceptance- we can allow our discomfort to become a new area for fueling self-doubt and criticism". Whoa. Can I ever relate to that!! On the outside, people see a strong entrepreneur who is pursuing her dreams and helping to influence and change lives. But on the inside I am typically fighting a big stinky voice that is reminding me of all the reasons I will fail or that I am not good enough to even be trying. Thank God I have an equally strong voice of passion in my head that can squelch the crazy freak out voice inside (and another little secret I will tell you later).
The thing that makes me more mad than anything- is this is the exact thing that keeps all of us from realizing our greatest version of ourselves. Two weeks ago, an article was written by the talented Aimee Heckel entitled, "Mom Teaches Daughter Best Lesson Ever". If you, like me, struggle with self-doubt or negative self talk that keeps you from success in any area of life- including working out, eating better, or even just being a better friend, then you need to know this:
"When you undervalue who you are, the world undervalues what you do."
My mom gave me that quote. She wrote it on a piece of paper that I keep beside my desk to this day. In the Daily Camera article, it says that my mother is a "fearless risk-taker (who is) deathly afraid of regret". While in my opinion this is true, my mother would tell you that she has plenty of regrets and she wishes she could go back and take a lot more risks. There's' nothing wrong with that- but on some level, her constant push to live her life on her terms is what I believe keeps me pushing forward past my inner fears and doubts and thoughts about how I don't measure up. You see, my mother believes in me more than I could ever even imagine. Which is my little secret. I have an entourage of people surrounding me that I can turn to who lift me up and remind me of why I am worth it, that I am smart, and that I have what it takes to reach my goals- so that others can reach theirs. Suffice it to say, I would never be where I am today if I didn't have THEIR voices in my head too.
Your pursuit of living an abundant and healthy life can easily be sabotaged by the voices in your head that may be telling you that you aren't worth it, that you don't know the right formula, that there is something wrong with you, or that you don't have what it takes. Let me be the voice to tell you that YOU are amazing. You are capable. You are more than worth whatever it takes. You are going to make it. There is nothing wrong with you because you are amazing. My greatest lesson ever that I want to share with you is that if you can lean in to your value and believe, eventually you will begin to recognize yourself from my mothers eyes.