The Journey-Building Self-Esteem

The Journey-Building Self-Esteem

My life is not perfect. I make a lot of mistakes. Sometimes, I stumble and fall. I am a work in progress. And when I remember that simple fact, I am better for the experience.

It's easy to start on a path of change and get so busy doing what we need to do that we forget to stop, breathe, and acknowledge the effort we've already made. We forget to honor our own healing journey. There are times I have to be reminded to do for myself what I coach others to do. Over the weekend I did a few things that were below my own expectations, and was quickly reminded by others to practice was I preach-love yourself-don’t beat yourself up. I am quickly reminded that I am on a journey, and not yet near the destination. I’ll chat to my coach about this behavior this week.

Healing is hard work. It takes great effort to stay on a path that leads to purposeful self-discovery. It takes energy - persistent energy - to be an active participant in the creation of our lives. A healing path requires having the courage to shine a light or allow a light to shine on parts of ourselves that we'd rather keep private. It means having the courage to see the work that still needs to be done. Honoring our healing journey invites us to appreciate the effort that has been made.
I journal on a regular basis; primarily for myself. It is something I started to do years ago privately, got out of the practice for a while, and paid a consequence for not exte
alizing regularly. As I moved in to Life Coaching and Addiction Mentoring as a vocation, I found putting my journey “out there” was not only therapeutic for me, periodically others related and got strength from what I was going through. My clients also know where I’m coming from.
This weekend, I shot myself (figuratively) in the foot a couple of times. Nothing way off base or hurtful to others, but I did a couple of things I have a small regret over. While I realize the glitches, upon reflection, I also realize the progress I have made. Do you take the time on your journey to evaluate progress and appreciate that life is work in progress?
It's important to heal and to honor the work done.