How unsettling is it that we internalize our failures with the quickness and almost forget about our wins and all the times things worked in our favour? What this means for me is that every time a fresh idea finds its way to me – I have to start from scratch and build an energy that allows me to develop it and to see it into life. This is obviously an unhealthy pattern mostly guided by societal misconceptions about success and what it looks like. Family can be a huge curve as well – so I find myself sitting on the fence when people are inclined to preach “positive thinking” without taking into consideration the importance of mental well-being, that sometimes we’re just going through the most and that energy is real.
However, the past couple of months have also helped me raise an awareness about myself and how quick I am to dismiss my wins at the sight of loss. I have also started to cultivate a habit which demands that I be accountable for my successes – a process which allows me to internalize my wins. Here are two of my main life hacks:
- INTERNALISE YOUR WINS
Internalizing our wins means to actively be aware of the things we did right and to not archive them like they didn’t happen. When we start to internalize our wins they become our strengths. I believe this because when you’re reminded of the processes that lead to a desired result, you can hone in on that energy almost naturally – because it stays cultivated and nurtured. What I do is journal a recollection of the structure of my week (what did I do when) and there I also make note of my small achievements and tasks I set out to do in the week. I find that being accountable for my work gives me a sense of responsibility and that makes me feel good.
Also get in the habit of defining success for yourself so that it’s not measured by other people’s standards. When you work on something, set personal goals and work to achieve them for your own fulfilment – this is how we build security around who we are and what work and styles of work suit us.
- RESOURCES
Resources are defining in any profession – they mean we’re able to carry out our tasks and fulfill our missions and objectives. The lack of resources on the other hand can result in a lot of our insecurities and inability to perform to the best of our capacity. This inherently causes a depression and an all-round decline in energy to keep producing or creating work for ourselves or our audience. We sometimes call this a “creative block” – I’ve had many of these myself, stressing about what I lack instead of focusing on what I do have. So what I do now is ask myself a simple question before I start a new and potentially complicated idea:
“What do you have that can work for you now?”
I know that I am good at building solid foundations for my grand ideas, I’ve done it before and with no financial injections. I have also built foundations for other people’s ideas, templates that guided objectives. And so each time I pose this here question to myself I always retort with, “you can build a foundation”.
Starting is a free, conceptualizing ideas and sourcing supporting information is free – so what I usually do is get all of the free things out of the way so that I can start to think clearly about what needs funding and why. Mostly I find that I really needed very little money.
Prioritizing a good mind-set and recognising yourself as a resourceful and equally self-sufficient mind and body comes with an abundance of peace of mind and a sense of security. Now look, these are just coping mechanisms that have helped me through tough times and tight corners. I am not certifying that they will work for you but I am sure that as you read and reflect on your own experiences – you might find these helpful.
