Friday, November 21, 2014

Want More Money? Readers? Followers? Stop. You're Exactly Where You Need to Be.

If you're like me you tend to beat yourself up for not being where you "want to be". You don't have what you want in the bank or you may be working for an employer when you want to work for yourself. We tend to draw a timeline for our accomplishments, once we reach one we strive for the other and there's never a moment to pause and appreciate where you are. We're never satisfied.

I tunnel-vision on future weight loss, never satisfied. BUT when I look at my progress I realize I've come VERY FAR with my fitness and healthy eating. From fast food/sedentary to raw vegan/active. A feat I thought was impossible three years ago.

Thanks to some inspiring reading and introspection I've realized how important it is to realize We Are Exactly Where We Need to Be. Constantly berating yourself for not being exactly where you "want" to be is negative thinking that will lead to malaise and lack of productivity. The knee-jerk reaction is often to punish ourselves into action, stop that! Let me tell you from experience, you will just needlessly torture yourself and get nowhere!

Look at the bright side: You're here reading this right now, which means you care about the future for your projects and you're actively studying to improve. Every item you list to sell, every plan you make, every blog post, are steps toward success. Keep working hard and you will get there. In the meantime, you're learning, growing, improving. A couple of action steps I recommend for being more productive:

Action 1) Sit down and write a list of everything you're grateful for and/or your accomplishments. Start with 100! Action 2) Reflect on your progress since you started your journey- look at your first listings, photos, or blog posts- damn, that's some improvement, right? Action 3) Do what it takes to truly enjoy the ride and where you're at now. It can simple things: Buy dollar store office supplies, re-decorate your work-space, re-arrange your schedule so you have more time to spend reading or enjoying your loved ones.

2009

VS.

2014

One of my earliest blog posts, a poorly done "plushie" tutorial from about five years ago. Photos at night! Tungsten lightning! I didn't even know how to shoot in manual. Progress shows!

You'll be more successful when you change your mindset to the positive and stop focusing on your ideal "perfect" future-self. You're already there; you are already literally where you wanted to be when  you first started on your journey. Besides, you'll need something to look back on later once you reach your next landmark! Sometimes we're so blindly focused on the future we're not reflecting on how we've progressed from the past or how good the present is.

Update, I Challenge You! Start with me now, list three accomplishments and/or three things you're grateful for in the comments (or on paper, but write it!) I dare you! You'll immediately feel lighter.
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19 comments:

  1. Beautiful before, beautiful after but likely you feel better now. I need some help in that area lol.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! I decided to look back at that today to remember progress. I've plateaued and with weight loss and it's easy to forgot where I started. If you need help feel free to e-mail any questions, my boyfriend's a personal trainer and I'm learning a lot and seeing results slowly :)

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  2. You have achieved a great result with your weight losing! This is a really inspiring post.

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  3. Couldn't agree more. You're doing and have done a wonderful job Van.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Trudie. Same with you! I have to pound this one into my head all the time because I'm always mad at myself for not doing more/enough/good enough with every project in my life :P Type-A personality flaw.

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  4. Ah, but the plushies are cuuuuuute, even with the bad lighting!
    Three things I am grateful for:

    1. A healthy creative streak that I frequently act on.
    2. A good core group of solid friends
    3. My 2 awesome cats


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    Replies
    1. Thanks Tilda, I'm slowly getting back to my kawaii crazy crafting again. :O I want to make lots of lines of stuff, but first must organize my supply mess.

      Awesome list :D I can relate to all three, though I need to act on my creative streak more.

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  5. Great points, Van. I was just looking back at old LGT posts. Seeing a 'then and now' is always a pleasant reminder of progress made.

    <3 Jackie!

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  6. I am an honest and loyal friend who never judges my friends. I'm a really good person who would give you the shirt off my back without even thinking. I'm an incredibly hard worker who learns fast and exceeds goals.

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    Replies
    1. All excellent things to be grateful for :D

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    2. And agreed, you're an awesome friend and hard worker.

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