The Things We Leave Behind
So I know that there’s been a whole trend on what’s out for 2024 and what is in for 2024. But I wanted to give my perspective on it. I think every year brings us different lessons and those lessons are our compass for what we take with us and what we leave behind. I know for me, 2023 was a very ‘all over the place’ kind of year. But what I decided to leave behind were a few things that I observed were recurring in my personal journey:
A pressure to be perfect- I truly put pressure on myself to be perfect at everything…being a wife, motherhood, my job, being a friend, just everything. This created significant burnout and feelings of defeat. I had set an impossible standard for myself. So yeah, I’m leaving that behind.
Ignoring my needs- I perpetually put my needs on the backburner and it totally backfired. I felt exhausted constantly and I was physically impacted negatively. Not only that, but I often found myself emotionally charged and frustrated. I did not engage in self care like I should have, and I ended up feeling “in the red” when it came to my energy reserve and even my happiness. That stays in 2023, see ya!
Comparison-There is a quote that says “comparison is the thief of joy” and that is the wholehearted truth. Last year I lost a lot of joy because I used the wrong ruler to measure where I was versus where other people were. News flash! There is no ruler! We are all on our own journey. No more comparison game for me; I forfeit. I am staying in my lane and keeping my eyes on MY journey.
Negative Self-Talk- This one is so hard. I would say some really mean things to myself, things that I would NEVER say to anyone else. There is a saying that goes something like “be careful what you say to yourself because you’re always listening.” It is so true and this can result in such deep feelings of low self worth. I will be actively working on breaking that bad habit. I deserve just as many kind words as I give to others.
People pleasing- it’s literally impossible to make everyone happy simultaneously. This is an absolute set up for failure and I am DONE with it. I held so much of myself back for so long out of fear of failure, disappointing people, and judgment. This behavior resulted in me not being able to bring my whole and full self to anything. It was a very difficult and lonely way to exist. But not anymore; I am bringing my full authentic self from now on and if people don’t like it, that is honestly okay. It’s no longer my job to meet everyone else’s expectations for me; it’s time for me to live the best life that I can.
Those are the things that I am leaving behind; I no longer have space for them on my journey. Perhaps there was a time that I needed those things for whatever reason, survival maybe? But I don’t anymore; I have grown, bloomed, and I release them. What are some things that YOU want to leave behind?
