We're all trying to figure it out...
Hi friends. It’s the end of another year and if nobody else tells you, I am proud of you. If any of you are like me, you hold yourselves to extremely (sometimes impossible) standards and then become irrationally upset when you don’t meet that standard. One of the things that came to mind in trying to reconcile with this was “We’re all just trying to figure it out.” Despite not having any social media but Instagram, I still fell victim to the mirage that everyone seemed to have it figured out but me. My friends had to bring me back down to reality and drill into my head that I’m not the only one going through things.
I’ve spent some time taking inventory of my year and I’ve had some very high, highs (graduating with my MPH, being inducted into an honor society), but some very low, lows (had a cancer scare, dealt with depression). I’ve had to constantly remind myself to be where my feet are, because I sometimes still feel like I’m failing at this life thing. However the thing about failure is that it comes with lessons, and I’ve got plenty of then for y’all, so let’s get to it.
You may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s ok. As someone who likes to be liked by everyone, this year taught me that this won’t always be the case. Sometimes people won’t even have a reason that they dislike you, but guess who’s problem that is? Not yours.
Your body [shape] doesn’t determine your worth. I took my fitness journey more seriously than I ever have this year, and while I saw incredible results, I also feel deep into body dysmorphia and toxic gym culture. Nobody has a perfect body all the time, and I held myself to that impossible standard. It’s fine if I have an off day (or a few).
You are enough. Rejection is tough, and boy was this year full of it; romantically, career wise, financially; you name it, I heard “no” about it. It was rough, but I am realizing that I am enough and as long as I know that, it’s all good.
Do it alone. If you are waiting on someone/ something to enjoy life, you’ll never enjoy it.
It’s fine to be human. Let people love you. It’s ok to cry. Your flaws don’t make you unlovable, and you don’t have to be perfect.
It’s been a wild ride this year, but I hope some of the lessons I’ve had to learn this year resonate with you. I’d love to hear some of the lessons you’ve learned, so feel free to drop them in the comments.
Cheers to a great end of this year, and a fantastic new one.
Love always,
CDOG