I find it so easy to be too hard on myself – a pattern that requires constant effort to break. Learning to take it easy on ourselves provides a far more pleasant experience. Why should we treat ourselves worse than we treat others anyway?
I understand and accept that no one is perfect. And, I believe it is not human to be perfect. So why do I (and others I am sure) expect so much from myself? So much so that, on occasion, I struggle to reach my expectations.
Over time, my skills to fight this vice have improved. However, when working on personal development, I occasionally get set back.
Take It Easy – Mistakes are Essential
Mistakes happen because things don’t always go as planned. These bumps in the road of life are essential for improvement and learning. While I don’t suggest intentionally doing things wrong, I remind myself that had I not made the mistake I would not have learned something new.
How can determine the best possible route if we don’t try all of the paths?
Pencils erase, files delete, and unbaked clay reforms. In some cases, it’s a poor food choice that throws me off track. All I can do is accept what happened and move forward with a newfound understanding of how it impacted my body and day. Moreover, we can’t allow small mistakes to derail our entire progress. In theory, the shift caused by fixing the error could lead us to find a better method as a result.
Take It Easy – You Can’t Please Everyone
People pleasing is a waste of time. Nearly eight billion people live on this Earth, how could you possibly please all of them? Time spent attempting to please others takes away from time caring for yourself. If we all focused on being our best self for ourselves, those around us still reap the benefits.
Be selective with who you keep in your circle. Those who cannot be pleased expect more from others than they give. Eliminate any aspect of your life that creates negative energy. Negative energy can be highly contagious and bring down your entire group.
Take It Easy – Learning and Mastery
It takes 10,000 hours to master a skill; you can’t work on one thing 24 hours a day seven days per week 365 days per year. On the other hand, you can focus on progress and understanding the skill on a deeper level.
In most situations, you won’t get things right the first time every time. When possible, ask for and accept constructive criticism, but don’t take it as a personal attack. When you hit a point where you struggle, seek additional help or in business cases outsource to a more capable provider.
During practice, give your full attention to whatever you are working on at the moment, not a prior effort or future endeavor. Be grateful and celebrate progress and successful completion of tasks. In the end, we must take this process one day at a time. Without a doubt, we cannot fast forward, take a magic pill or shortcut, on our route to mastery. Indeed, it is the time away and breaks that allow for the most significant breakthroughs.
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We’d love to hear about your success and struggles with your efforts to take it easy. Share with us in the comments below or email us at emails@dirtywindshield.com.
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