If you're like me, sometimes you do things that are carefully-thought-out yet spur-of-the-moment decisions. Paradoxical, but true. You may pore and pore over a decision and then just act on it in an instant. Sometimes, it's like, "Oh, why did I do that?" And, then it's like, "I did it because I had to". This reaction can relate to a variety of scenarios: from sending off a grad school application to telling someone how you really feel.
So, seeing as I often make these carefully-thought-out yet spur-of-the-moment decisions, I decided to write myself a pep-talk to buffer the self-critique. I'm hoping that maybe this bit of positive self-talk can help you out, as well. Oh, and for guys reading this, just replace all the "girl"'s with "guy" and this one's for you, too!
Pep Talk To Self:
"
Hey! Hey you girl! Don’t be downcast! Don’t berate yourself. What you just did in the name of hope
was not dumb. It was not stupid. It was courageous. It took a lot of what’s in
you to do what you just did. All you can ask of yourself is to hope for the
best and to try to do your best. At the end of the day, no matter what happens,
know that this much is true: you never gave up hope and joy and laughter and
positivity and all those things that make you who
are, girl! So, chin up! Think happy thoughts. We’re all trying to
figure out this thing called life. Everyone’s just trying the best they can
with what they know. As are you. So, float on, girl, float on =)"
Y'see, we often have a tendency to critique certain things we do and label them a flaw. But, good, bad or ugly, these so-called flaws are apart of who we are. So, instead of detesting these parts of ourselves, why not
embrace the "flaw"? Think of it like this:
to embrace is to accept, and acceptance yields the willingness to evolve and to grow. So, if making these spur of the moment decisions is truly a flaw (which it may not be, by the way, in certain contexts), your acceptance of that part of yourself equips you with the ability to change the habit if necessary. This is how it works in my mind, anyway.
On a final note,
Emily Owens, M.D., has THE BEST closing monologues. I mean, okay, as
Grey's Anatomy is my first one-hour medical drama love, obviously I have always admired Meredith's closing remarks, but, this new kid on the block Emily Owens has a lot to bring to the reflective voice-over world, too!
Last week's episode's closing monologue perfectly sums up what I'm trying to say here in this blog post:
"It's hard trying not to judge yourself. Because we are aware of every mistake. We know our inner doubts, our hidden motivations, our failings. So, my wish for next year is to be easier on myself. Focus less on the bad and more on the good. Really. Just give myself a break."
