The world we live in is so critical. We use social media to say whatever we want to, not really caring how it affects someone on the other side of the screen. It is hard to express yourself these days without someone passing judgement or writing you off too quickly. There are constantly people doubting us, stereotyping us, and making us feel inferior. It’s almost impossible to believe in ourselves anymore.

Kids are growing up thinking they aren’t good enough if they don’t obtain a certain amount of “likes” on their Instagram pictures. Adults post stories on Facebook about their kids and have people commenting on how they aren’t parenting the “right way." Whatever happened to the “Only God can judge me” attitude? There are so many negatives thrown our way daily and we forget the value of self-care.

When we set goals we often set them so high they are at the point of intimidation. We also often set long term goals and forget to set short term goals. When we set goals we usually just focus on the end result and not the little successes that it takes to get there. Even when we have acidic people in our lives all day and nasty comments waiting for us every time we log on, we are still our own worst critics.

It is hard to stay motivated for a long period of time when you are not seeing immediate changes. For example: you want to lose 20 pounds and have been working out for one week. You hop on the scale and it hasn’t budged and so you give up and don’t make it to the gym that day. Have you been there? What you haven’t noticed, is that for one week, you have had more energy than usual and that over a week ago, you couldn’t even talk yourself into looking up the types of gyms around your area, and now you have gone seven days in a row. That deserves a celebration.

When we don’t notice the small things and take the time to celebrate them, they get overshadowed by all of the negatives that your mind picks up. As humans, we are naturally pessimistic and doubtful. It is a lot easier to go through the motions every day than to take a leap of faith. You need to celebrate the small things because you need to stop being your own worst critic and start being your biggest fan. The mind is a powerful thing and with yourself on your side, you can outsmart that little devil on your shoulder whispering doubt in your ear.

When you write goals, set both long term goals and short term goals. Setting short-term goals that you can achieve quicker, will help to keep you on track towards the end goal. When you achieve a short term goal, reward yourself. You have to decide what that can be. It can be as small as a pat on the back or a fist pump into the air, or it can be as elaborate as a spa day. It is obviously up to you and your wallet, but make sure whenever you take a small step in the right direction that you take it to heart. Setting a goal for three months in advance can be exciting because you know you have time to achieve it, but it can also be a trap in procrastination for the same exact reason.

You need to celebrate the small things because you need to soak in the journey along the way. You need to celebrate the years of dating because you probably didn't get married without it first. You need to celebrate middle school graduation because you can't get to high school without passing this milestone first. Everyone looks forward to the day they turn 18 and no longer have to live by their parents rules. Even though every adult they know reminds them to enjoy their years before adulthood, we forget. Set that goal and laugh at the hiccups along the way. And make sure to celebrate the small things because you will look back one day and realize they were big things.