Learning to Look Forward

One of the hardest things that I continue to struggle with is giving myself the credit I deserve and giving myself the pat on the back for the progress I’ve made. Instead, I dwell on the fact that I am not where I want to be.

I recently was in this phase. As many of you know, I am in the process of learning to save money, lose weight, and declutter. I am not going to become a minimalist, nor do I believe that I ever will become one. But, I have learned to budget and increased my savings dramatically then I have in years prior. I’m working out and building muscle, and starting to see improvements in my endurance and my health.

But, what am I doing instead of applauding myself? I’m looking at everything that I’ve done wrong because I’m not where I want to be. I am hard on myself for everything that I have yet to learn than everything that I have learned.

There is a saying that says progress over perfection, and that is something that I am learning that I need to focus on more and more. Why is that we focus on the things we didn’t do and the things that we did wrong versus the baby steps and progress in the right direction?

Maybe it’s the way that we are programmed. Maybe it’s the content consumed on social media — you know when you see someone who is doing that much better than you, or someone who seems to have it all together.

So, why can’t I change it?

The answer is that it was something programmed in me — whether it’s something attributed to nature to something attributed to nurture. And, when something is programmed in me, it can take a while for me to develop a new mindset.

And, that’s ok. But, in this process of learning to love and accept myself, I am learning to celebrate my wins and celebrate the things I did do versus didn’t. I am learning to forgive myself for the things I didn’t know, and to give myself the love that I need to grow into the person I want to be.

I am learning to look forward.