Are you self-critical? Do you regularly put yourself down? Do you rarely feel good enough, smart enough, skinny enough, fit enough, good looking enough and overall just not enough?
Well unfortunately a lot of women share this view of themselves too and it robs them of joy and happiness in their lives. Too many women, never feel like they are enough, just as they are. As women, we can spend too much of our time and energy comparing ourselves to others or striving to achieve an ideal image or outcome only to feel like we fall short.
Every single one of us has a unique set of skills, abilities, gifts, strengths and weaknesses. Not one of us are exactly the same. So why do we feel compelled to compare ourselves to others, particularly when we are not even comparing like for like?
Our opportunity is to start recognising and acknowledging our own unique set of attributes. What makes us different and special? What are our true gifts and talents and how can we leverage these in service of others?
As care givers, it is critically important that we regularly consider our own needs too and ensure that we prioritise what feels nurturing and nourishing to our physical, emotional and mental needs. In being conscious of topping up our own wellbeing, we can then have more energy to offer others.
Articles have been written about women needing to feel 100% capable of doing a role before they feel ready to apply for it and take it on. Once they have the role, they feel like they need to prove themselves, before even thinking about their next role or promotion. So in essence too many of us are perfectionist and our goals are not lofty enough to see us reach our full potential. We often limit our own success and happiness by our limiting self beliefs and restrict what is possible for us to have and achieve.
All of this can be changed when we first notice the thoughts we have and whether they are supporting or hindering us. We can learn how to show up in the world honouring ourselves and what feels right for us, without having a detrimental impact on others. We can learn how to love all aspects of our being and who we truly are and the gift of why we are here. And, we can learn the ways in which we can control our minds, so our minds don’t control us.