Practice makes progress!

I have found that everything in life takes practice. How do we learn how to walk and talk? We practice. How do we learn how to play instruments, gain muscle, or juggle? We practice. Self-esteem is the same way. We must practice. The absolute best advice I will ever be able to give is to sit down, write out some ways to be more kind and understanding for yourself and others, and then practice. Practice makes perfect. I had a French teacher in middle school that said "perfect practice makes perfect". She said that it doesn't do any good to practice if you are never going to improve. I agree with her, but I also don't agree. I agree that while we practice we must find ways to improve. If we do not we will never progress, but I do not believe that one can be perfect. This implies that you has no room to improve, that you have reached the absolute best. What does that even mean? Does it exist? I have been practicing for an interview at a new job. Could I ever have a perfect interview? Without any hesitation, cockiness, fear, or wrong answers. I don't think so. Anyway, it isn't worth worrying about. Practice makes progress! That is what we are going for people, progress.


                                   (Found http://www.newmanagement.com/tips/images/sign8.jpg)

I totally thought I made this phrase up, but then I typed it into google...yeah I wasn't the first. C'est la vie! 

When I was younger I practiced liking myself. I would take time each day to remind myself about something that I liked about myself or that I was good at. I can say with confidence now that I am awesome and I like myself, because I have practiced. It seems silly to say, but this is what it takes. It takes reminders, sticky notes, phone alerts, and time. I have been known to have my phone remind me to write down something I like about myself. There is no shame in that! Put a sticky note on the bathroom mirror saying, "You are beautiful! You are enough! You are doing great!" 

Sit down and write one way to improve your self-esteem. Everyone will have different problem areas. One thing that I am working on is self deprecation. Let's be honest, I use humor to dispel awkward moments. Often the humor I use can be in a negative manner towards myself, because in my mind this will make the other person smile, forget their troubles, or feel better. It works...sometimes...not really...mostly it just makes things more awkward...so...yeah. No the best idea and I am working on it. I am practicing attention. I am trying to pay attention to the thoughts that enter my mind before I open my mouth. Then before I open my mouth I can decide whether this comment is helpful or hurtful to anyone including myself. I am no expert, but it gets easier with time. 

      (Found http://blog.livlane.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/You-Are-Enough-with-URL-700x466.jpg)

Another thing that most people should work on is negative thinking. Let's be more positive. Now I don't want us all to ignore reality and expect everything to be chocolate and candy canes, but let's work on being more positive. Where do you think this comes into play for you? What area of your life could use a little more positivity? When you start to tell yourself that everything is going wrong and that nothing ever goes your way...stop. I know that sounds way too easy and it is easier said that done, but if you make a goal and set reminders to stop and think about the reality of the situation, you will be able to stop the negative thinking. Here is an example...many college students stress out about exams. If I do poorly on this exam I will fail the class. If I fail the class I will not have good grades. If I do not have good grades I will not be able to get into grad school or get a good job. If I don't get a good job I will be poor and unhappy. Therefore the stress I was feeling about this exam has amplified, because according to this way of thinking I must to well on this exam to get a good job and have a happy life. This is what we call black and white thinking. Things are either wonderful or catastrophic. This gets us no where and it tweaks reality. In reality if I do not do well I will probably be able to get a decent grade in my class if I put in effort and it probably won't effect my future job or happiness. However you may have read through that and realized that this is something you do often. In fact it is very common. It is also very debilitating. Don't let small things get you down.

                      But if you do actually have catastrophe strike I hope you are as calm as this fellow. 

So stop it! Hahaha really though make a goal and set reminders to consciously think about the pathway of your thoughts. Make judgement calls based on reality. You can't ignore stressors, life is full of them. Most of which we must address, but don't blow it all out of proportion and cause enormous stress levels.

We will talk more about stress, because I have lots to say about it (since I took an entire class on stress management and it pretty much changed my life...however I am still managing my stress day to day through PRACTICE!)

This week set an alarm on your phone twice a day. Set some fun ring tone and practice boosting your self-esteem. my alarm goes off and reminds me that I am doing my best. Not only do I love having my phone give me positive feedback I also am reminded to work hard to make that statement true. You are enough! You are beautiful! Go and live you beautiful people you!

I have no more crashes to report, and for that I am grateful. I am however spending lots of time on my bike exploring Houston.