“I feel weird if I focus for very long on my accomplishments. I only let myself celebrate for a moment, and then my brain is like, ‘what’s next?!’ I have to keep striving for the next achievement. But when will it be enough?”
Don’t get too big for your britches. Nobody likes a braggart. Stop showing off.
I’m a late Gen X’er, and if your family was anything like mine, you got these messages, too. You weren’t supposed to tout your accomplishments, let alone really relish in them.
For example, my mom never let me see the results from any of those standardized school tests, apparently because she didn’t want me to get a big head. I wasn’t supposed to know I did THAT well. And tbh, I grew up thinking I was less smart than I actually am, which led to some missed opportunities and social confusion.
Here’s the problem with NOT getting to rest on your laurels—that hole in your heart never gets filled.
You never really know how great you are.
You aren’t “allowed” to spend any time processing your true value or appreciating yourself. So you grow up into an adult who chases validation and accomplishments, but can never receive the fruits of those labors.
It’s like being a donkey chained to a wheel with a carrot dangling in front of you. You never receive what you’re hoping for, because you’ve been trained to not LET yourself take it in.
**Save this gif to your phone as a reminder**
Art Credit: chibird.com
No matter how much you accomplish in your life, if you don’t really stop to be filled with the understanding of your goodness, you’ll always be chasing the next high.
So now, really, right this moment — can you STOP
and gather your inner child into your arms
and tell them how much you appreciate them.
Let your child and yourself be filled with the awareness of what’s really awesome about you and the differences you’ve made in the world. Let it linger.
You’re worth it. Bask in the love.
