Feeling All Fired Up

 Maybe it is adrenaline from my long run.  Maybe it is that sense of euphoria that comes when you recover from being sick.  Maybe it is hearing the right podcast at just the right time.  No matter what the reason, all I can tell you is that I am feeling fired up right now, in the best possible way.

Coming into the weekend, I was a bit concerned because I hadn't had any real inspirations for my weekly post.  I had caught one of the bugs that is going around and that sidelined me for the better part of the week.  It put a crimp in my usual routines and I felt quite disconnected and out of touch with the world in general.  Despite the sense of disarray, I likely needed the downtime to reset and regroup and slow down a bit.  It felt great to be able to get outside and moving again and I was fortunate to have a chance to listen to a really inspiring podcast as I was out and about.  The podcast episode was a conversation between Rich Roll and Mel Robbins and the topic was Confidence Is a Habit.  As they moved through their discussion, I was struck by how just powerful our minds are and how we can either work with the programming to help us or allow ourselves to fall victim to negative feedback loops.

I realize that this is not necessarily a new idea or subject for this blog - being aware of our self-talk and destructive habits and finding ways to turn them around.  What felt different for me today was the fact that I finally could see just how, where and why I have been still allowing myself to undermine my own success.

I can't tell you the number of times that I shrug off a success that I have experienced in my life.  It could be a great presentation that I have made at work, an unexpected good grade on a tough assignment at school or maybe a long run that I didn't necessarily think I would be able to complete.  Regardless of the actual success, I often find myself putting it down to luck or a fluke instead of actually admitting that it was the product of hard work, dedication and consistency.  Why do I do this?  A long time ago I told myself that people would like me more if I was humble, and that I should wait to have someone else give me praise as opposed to actually feeling proud of my own accomplishments.  That works well if there is always someone around who is paying attention and giving you the high-five, but what happens when there isn't someone there to do that?  

Today I have come up with the answer to this...I am going to become my own damn cheerleader!  Who is with me???  One of the confidence habits that was discussed on the podcast was the act of giving yourself a high-five in the mirror every day.  Yes - super cheesy and kind of cringey...but also, why the hell not?  When I am in my bathroom no one else knows (or needs to know) just what it is that I am doing in there...so why not add a couple of minutes to my daily routine and give myself some encouragement for the day?  I know that it feels amazing to give and receive high-fives and just the thought of having that to look forward to makes me smile.  I am sure that I have done much cheesier things in my time, and not always with a positive vibe attached.

I encourage you to listen to the podcast when you have some time, as it was really honest, raw and enlightening.  It was also quite funny and included quite a few f-bombs, so just a word of caution if you are going to listen with younger ears present.  It is episode # 630, taped on September 27, 2021. https://www.richroll.com/podcast/mel-robbins-630/


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