“Your perception of yourself needs to catch up with the reality of who you are.” These wise words spoken to me by someone who a greatly respect. And she was right. In a time where I feel lost and unsure because I’m trying something new, I am spending more time questioning my own abilities than honoring my strengths.
You may have your own experiences with self-doubt. If you are anything like me, you also have a great ability to over think everything. Personally, I attribute thoughts and feelings to others that may not be accurate. But even more detrimental is my habit of being self-critical. While you can only learn from your mistakes by first being accountable to them, I have forgot the importance of accepting my new self once I have implemented the lesson.
As human beings we are ever changing and evolving. Each day we learn new lessons and incorporate them into our sense of being and who we are. Some of these lessons are conscious and others occur on a more hidden level. But we do ourselves a disservice by not honoring these changes.
Imagine if you continued to function only with the perception you had of yourself as young child or as a teenager. My teenage self would have never thought that she could achieve a doctorate degree and at times her voice holds me back from the truth of the person I am today as an adult. I want to tell her that she will accomplish so much more than she ever thought possible. That she will try new things. That she will gain the strength to overcome fear and self-doubt.
For yourself what accomplishments are you forgetting to honor? Consider your current perception of yourself, does it match the reality of who you are right now? Who are the people in your life that can help support you in finding congruence between the two? Is your past perception of self holding you back from accomplishing something new? Reflect and name those fears, honor them, then take that next step forward.
