A memory from last year popped up on my personal Facebook timeline yesterday. As I read the memory, the feelings of the moment came flooding back. We tend to relive moments. Sometimes they are joyful. Other times they are painful, and there are a variety of other emotions that can arise. Not always, but many times we look back at certain memories and see the purpose they served in our lives. My memory served as a reminder of lessons learned during that time in my life.
Reliving the Moment
Last January and February, I was receiving physical therapy as I recovered from a broken foot. Nerves in my foot had been affected by the break, and numbness had been present throughout my recovery. Being completely real, I had totally underestimated the steps to complete healing. In my mind, it was just a broken foot, so I anticipated quickly getting back to my normal activities once the bone was healed. I was a very active person before, so in my mind, it should have been a breeze. The work that goes into restoration of range of motion and recovery of nerves had not been on my mind.
The Glass Stones
One day my physical therapist put a towel on the floor. Next, she proceeded to spread out small glass stones on the towel. Then, she placed a plastic cup on the towel. My job was to pick up the stones with my toes and put them in the cup. No big deal, right? WRONG!!! I sat there starring at those glass stones willing my toes to move and pick them up. They, however, were not working for me. Frustration started creeping up as I became washed down in sweat and shaking. I started to become angry with myself when all of a sudden it hit me!
Extending Grace
Why was I being so negative and hard on myself? Was I not recovering from an injury? I tried to calm myself down and reminded myself to BREATHE. After a few minutes, I was able to get one bead into the cup before the timer went off. There was a difference in my mindset and my performance after I started to give myself grace. Once my mindset shifted from negativity to more positive thoughts, that stone became a victory instead of a defeat. Eventually, with practice and daily exercises, I was able to accomplish getting all the stones into the cup in the allotted amount of time. Notes kept during that time served as reminders of the lessons I was learning in extending grace to myself.
Hindering Progress
It is easy to be hard on ourselves when we perceive a weakness or a mistake. One day we might intend to exercise, but something comes up and we miss the opportunity. Another day the temptation of that tasty treat overcomes us. Maybe you find yourself heading out for a run when your body says, “Not today!” It is easy to view these moments as setbacks. We tend to get angry or frustrated with ourselves and mentally beat ourselves up. What we fail to realize is speaking negatively to ourselves will actually hinder our progress.
A Better Way
There is a better way to motivate ourselves to overcome and achieve our goals. The answer is in grace and kindness. The fact of the matter is that because we are human, we have weaknesses and are imperfect. How we respond to those weaknesses and imperfections can either set us up for success or failure. First, we have to remember to breathe. Mentally taking the time to focus on our breath can help calm us and give us the opportunity to refocus. Next, we must be willing to accept our faults. In a world that tells us to strive for perfection, this can be difficult. However, there is freedom in realizing that we do not have to be perfect. In accepting and taking the time to acknowledge those faults, we can determine areas where we want to improve and grow.
Celebrating Victories
As we decide areas where we want to improve, this can open the door to setting goals. Last year, my goal was to get all the glass beads in the cup. That was not going to happen in a day. It was a goal that I could work toward daily but had to remember that it would take time. We must be kind and extend ourselves grace as we work toward our goals. We do this by first remembering that we will be imperfect and have ups and downs during the process. If we view something as a setback, we can re-evaluate our process, make adjustments, and then continue on while staying positive. The big lesson that I learned that gives the motivation to continue even in hard-to-reach goals is celebrating every victory no matter how big or small you think it is. Even those perceived small victories propel you toward that overall win.
Positive Energy
When we celebrate our wins, we are embracing positive energy. That energy moves us forward and helps us overcome on days that we face challenges as long as we do not fall into negativity. Negativity will take us deeper and deeper into a hole that is hard to climb out of.
Are you struggling in a particular area today? If so, have you considered something you have accomplished? Or maybe there was something that you overcame. Focus on your small wins and allow that to propel you forward. You can download my new infographic, Positive Ways to Motivate Yourself for Success, on my freebies page. To gain access, sign up for my newsletter below and you will receive an email with the password to access the freebies page. Remember, give yourself grace and BE KIND TO YOURSELF!
