On being comfortable with ourselves

It’s easy to think we’re more awesome than we actually are.

We can tell ourselves stories about the successes we’ve had in the past, even though deep down we feel as though they’re not actually our successes.

We can make up scenarios where our performance was awesome, yet we know, internally, that we could have been so much better.

We can represent ourselves however we want, to other people, but at the end of the day, what do we have to show for it?

All the things we’ve done, experiences we’ve had, jobs we’ve worked and projects we’ve delivered may look different out in the real world than they do in our heads, and that’s scary.

It’s scary because getting caught in the trap of “not good enough” leads to a dangerous spiraling down into a rabbit hole of shame, vulnerability, fear, anxiety and more.

It’s scary to think that other people may not perceive us as awesome as we perceive ourselves to be, because at the end of the day, we’re the ones who go to bed with our thoughts and feelings. We don’t have constant validation and reassurance from our peers, colleagues, and others, so we don’t actually know how we’re being perceived by the people we’ve interacted with over the years. We may think we’ve done outstanding work in the past, but the reality may be very different. Who knows?

Even though we might be able to justify our existence, and reason over the results we’ve achieved in the past, perhaps they’re not as stellar looking to other people as they are when we look through our own lens.

So how are we to combat this?

Perhaps it’s a matter of letting go.

Letting go of that fear, that judgment, that feeling of being less than. Letting go of the need to be awesome, and simply letting ourselves be.

Let ourselves exist as we are, with the experiences we’ve had in the past — because we cannot change them — and accept all facets of our beings for exactly what they are: Human.

Just like the rest of us, you’re uniquely you; and you’re beautiful.

Not perfect, no. No one is. But you’re you, and you have beauty to spread and share with others, and that’s part of what makes you human.

By accepting yourself, and the wholeness of your multifaceted being that comes along with that acceptance, you’ll find new levels of inner peace that lead to more contentment, happiness, and empowerment.

By shedding judgments, accepting fears, and embracing wholeness, we can each unlock the beauty found within our own humanity, and the uniqueness of our individual existence.

And that’s a beautiful thing; To be comfortable with who we are, where we are, and why we are.