Sometimes we hear a piece of advice, and it just sticks with us. It could come in any number of forms, but what matters is for some reason we heard it at the right time and it made a difference. For me, it was a random inspirational quote I saw while scrolling through one form of social media or another. And it was simple. Every phase of your life requires a different you.
What we want to accomplish tomorrow, or next year, requires us to continue to grow. We can’t stay stagnate and also reach those goals. What is most beautiful about this for me though, is that who I was yesterday and last year, who I am today is still someone I needed to be in this journey.
It has been my experience that so many of the expectations put on us (either internally or from family and society) instills in us the idea that who we are now is not good enough. And I want to rid our brains of the notion, “I’ll be worthy when…”
If this is how we let ourselves think (and believe me, I did more than my fair share of it), then when is that finish line? When are we worthy? Is it after this raise, or the next promotion. Is it when my boyfriend proposes, or I celebrate a 20 year anniversary. Is it when I lose those pesky 10 pounds, or finally feel good in a bikini. Is it when I buy that big house with the white picket fence, or when I’ve visited every country.
If my worth is wrapped up in societal definitions of success, then I will always be chasing the next accomplishment in order to be worthy. But, I will never reach that ultimate goal of worth. I will never allow myself to believe that who I am right now is not only worthy, but is who I need to be today.
We should all be reaching for the next goal, working toward being our best selves. But not to the detriment of who we are today, or to the discredit of what we’ve gone through or accomplished so far.
Let’s continue to grow and change ourselves for the better, because our next phase requires the next version of us. But let’s also celebrate who we are and what we’ve done, regardless of how that bikini looks this year.
