At only 21 years old I have this problem where I never seem to be able to reward myself. Even if there is nothing imminent on my to-do list, it is guaranteed that I will find something else to stress and worry about. There is always something on my mind ready for me to pull to pieces and criticise. Nothing ever seems good enough, be it my grades, my work, my performance in the gym, my body image. I am a self critic. And I know I'm not the only one. We live in a world where we are constantly told by the media, twitter, instagram, celebrities and peers how we are supposed to act and more importantly re-act to situations thrown at us by life. The list of societies' expectations for us to behave and conform to a certain ideal is endless, and failure to meet this standard can easily result in the feeling that you are not good enough, once again beginning the vicious cycle of self-critique.
It's easy to let yourself get down, to beat yourself up about your differences rather than embrace the fact that you are an individual working towards different goals than other people. Back when I was struggling, I used to long so badly to be 'normal'. I used to say that my goal in life was to wake up in the morning and not feel inferior, to be able to go about my day to day life with ease. I no longer want to be normal. Normal doesn't really exist. Don't change yourself to conform to someone else's idea of perfection, and don't allow societies standards to make you feel inferior.
Below is a little list of things to remember when you don't feel good enough:
001. Going forward is hard but going back is harder - When you're working towards a goal it's easy to feel disheartened, especially when it seems like the work you are putting in does not equate to the results you are getting out. Someone recently said something to me which really resonated- when going forward seems hard, almost impossible, just remember it's ten times harder to go back. Going back to a place where you were unhappy or far away from your goal means either accepting that you must forever live you life in that place, or once again begin on the journey. You're already part way there and the beginning is the hardest, so keep going.
002. Being good enough to try is infinitely more important than being good enough to succeed - There's a quotation that is commonly used which says something along the lines of 'it's better to try and fail than to never have tried at all'. In the grand scheme of life what really is 'success' anyway? At what point do you define something as 'not being good enough'? Good enough for yourself, or good enough for society? Ignore the audience and fight for your own dreams for yourself and no one else.
003. Progress > perfection - No body is perfect… don't ever compare yourself to anyone else because people have become incredibly good at hiding the less polished aspects of their life. Facebook timelines are a highlight reel, a compilation of the 'best bits'. You can't possibly compare your full story to someone else's blurb. As long as you are making progress, staying positive and working towards your own happiness you are good enough.
