“You’re a lot better than you think you are”
Those words were spoken to me this past weekend by my wonderful assistant Nahshon and they stuck with me.
I forget what specifically he was referring to, but it’s not a new sentiment. From time to time I struggle with a skewed view of self and those around me often try to help when I have my moments of doubt or when self-confidence is low.
I know this isn’t unique to me, or unique to creatives, as we all struggle with feelings of self-doubt from time to time…. So I think it’s an important topic to address. Often times we get so focused on the many things we have yet to correct, learn, and do, that it’s hard to acknowledge the progress that has been made up until that point.
I’ve had many conversations lately with friends that tied back to that one way or another. And I feel like I’m finally starting to “get” it.
Acknowledging the progress you’ve made thus far doesn’t mean you don’t have work left to do. It simply puts you in a better mental space to be able to carry out that work. Striving for balance is always key and that’s the mission I’m on currently. Sometimes I struggle with giving myself credit because I’m not as good as someone else, or because I know I can do better. But what does that do? All that does it put me in a negative mental space that isn’t very conducive for great work.
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”
-Carl Rogers
I stumbled upon this quote yesterday and had to share it. Acknowledgement is a powerful thing. You have to acknowledge where you are before you can move forward.
I’m nearing DFinney Photography’s official 5 year anniversary and even with that being the case, instead of looking at my accomplishments, sometimes all I see is how much MORE I have to do to get to where I want to be. So my efforts instead now, are not to look at how far I have left to GO, but at how far I have COME. Positivity is always a better motivator than negativity!
So I will end by saying this… in whatever area you may find yourself, please don’t forget to look at the positive side of things and not only the negatives. Because you will often find that you’re doing better than you think you are :)
