This world is so hard and often times we feel defeated. We've had a bad day, month or even a bad year. We let daily stress, big and small, weigh us down. Then, one day, we wake up and feel as though we will never possibly be good enough again. First and foremost, I am here to tell you that it is so incredibly OK to be hurting. You are going to get hurt and be hurt, and the world is never going to stop being hard. Please know that a bad day does not equal a bad life. To whoever is reading this, please know that you are worth the moon and all the stars. Here are a few things to remember whenever you feel inadequate.
You have felt like this before. Now, this sentence alone doesn't make anyone feel any better, I know. But when you think about it, it really should. The fact that you have been through lows in your life means that you have also been at highs. Use this knowledge to think of the highs. How did you get there? What made you decide to stand back up and fight for happiness? Is there something you can do right now to put you on the road to joy again, no matter how small? Everyone feels as though they fall short sometimes, but what's important is that you realize that the feeling is temporary and then you need to actively pursue whatever it is that makes you feel incredible.
Criticism only follows an attempt. Aristotle once said, "There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing." If someone else's criticism is making you feel inadequate, remember that you tried. Remember that criticism is something inescapable. And remember that no matter what anyone says about you or your actions, that as long as you woke up and tried, you did it. No person's judgment in this world is worth beating yourself up over. Chances are that the people trying to make you feel little are only doing so because they're wrestling with themselves.
Comparison is the thief of joy. There's a great possibility that part of the reason you feel you're falling short is because it seems as though everyone around you is succeeding.There's also a greater possibility that those people you see doing well are struggling themselves with some aspect of their life. Next time you feel like comparing yourself to others, ask yourself this: When was the last time your life was perfect? The answer to that is never, and do not forget that the answer is the same for everyone. Don't compare your real life to what you see on the surface of others. Instead, embrace your mess or your hurt or your hardship. Once you stop comparing yourself to others, you have so much more time to grow as a person.
You are in charge of your attitude. I know that a lot of times this sentence is used to make someone feel like they can just decide to be completely happy and unaffected by the world. And I promise you that this is not my intention. However, you can decide to try and find the light. It is not always going to be sunshine and butterflies. But it can always be optimism. Right now, you feel inadequate. Right now, you have a choice: You can focus on how hard life is, or you can try to find one good thing about yourself. It might be a freckle on your face or a grade on a test. No matter what it is, if you can find one thing that you love about yourself, you can always find joy.
Tomorrow is a new day. Today might have been hard, today you might feel like you've fallen short, today you might think that tomorrow is destined to be the same. But it is entirely possible that tomorrow could be the best day of your life. So tonight, lay your insecurities, your failures, your worries and your doubts to bed. Put them to sleep entirely.
Sometimes, everyone finds themselves overwhelmed with day to day stresses. In the world we live in, it is so easy to become focused on the failures instead of the successes. I hope that you remember that you are more than enough, always. I hope you remember that life is tough, but so are you.
