Over the last few months, I made a really important decision. I decided that I was capable of anything I put my mind to. I decided I would stop listening to the negative voices in my head and around me. I decided that I had more power to make this life what I wanted than I had ever given myself credit for. I decided that I was unstoppable.
I decided that I had more power to make this life what I wanted than I had ever given myself credit for.
I’ve always been a big dreamer. I’ve always sat in the shadow of the looming question: “what am I going to do with my life?” I convinced myself I was missing the mark, I was going to fail, and that I wasn’t really able to do all the things I’d always dreamed of. Something would always hold me back.
It started with music. I had all these ideas of things I wanted to do in my music career but would stop myself. I’d tell myself things like “maybe when I have a bigger following” or “people who really know me will think I’m a poser”. Then something in me shifted. I decided I didn’t want to let any of those things hold me back anymore and that if I didn’t just go for it, I would always wonder.
I’d tell myself things like “maybe when I have a bigger following” or “people who really know me will think I’m a poser”.
I started believing in myself. And that made all the difference. I started reminding myself that you have to take yourself seriously in order for anyone else to.
So let me be that voice today. I don’t have a whole lot of secrets that you’ve never heard before, but I do want to remind you that you can be capable of whatever you want to do with your life. Even though I don’t feel like I have all the wisdom in the world, I can share some things that have helped me and continue to help me in this process of pursuing where I want to be in life.
Stand up. I’ve often thought about this concept of drowning in a puddle, where I feel like I’m in over my head when I can honestly just stand up. I convince myself that circumstances are pitted against me and that I’ll never be enough. But most of the time all that takes is a mindset shift. Maybe there are tough circumstances, but our outlook is half the battle. When we decide to stand up, to stop feeling like we’re in over our head, and take steps towards where we want to be, we start winning.
Get organized. I’ve talked about this before, but a game changer for me in staying productive and moving forward in my music was tracking every single thing I do for my music career every week. When I would get in my head and convince myself that I wasn’t doing anything, I could check back on the list and see all that I was accomplishing, even if it was something small. It’s so easy to get in our heads and compare, but keeping track of what you’re doing reminds you all that you are accomplishing and pushes you to do more.
Get around people who inspire you. I can get really insecure when it comes to the things I’m passionate about, because I’m well aware that there are people out there who are further along and do them much better than I ever could. But when you push yourself to spend time with people who are more skilled or further along than you it gives you a drive to keep moving forward. I get stuck in comparison often, whether it’s someone who makes more money or is more skilled than I am. But when we’re putting our all into something we’re passionate about, it leaves little room for comparison. Comparison often comes from knowing that we ourselves are not doing enough of what we want to be doing in the first place.
Speak positivity to yourself. This one is pretty self-explanatory. But there’s a whole lot of power in waking up everyday and reminding yourself that you can do anything you set your mind to. Pretty soon, you start to actually believe it.
Keep pushing content. Keep creating and moving forward, even if it doesn’t feel perfect.
Remind yourself that you still have worth. Even if you have an unproductive week or you feel burnt out, remind yourself that you still have inherent worth outside of anything that YOU create or YOU bring to the table. You have worth because you are loved by your creator. That is enough.
When we decide to stand up, to stop feeling like we’re in over our head, and take steps towards where we want to be, we start winning.
Don’t wait until you have it all together or you feel perfectly qualified. Start that project, apply for that job, or reach out to that person. Don’t look back and wonder, and don’t wait for opportunities to come to you. I truly believe that we can make the life we want to have.