500 Words a Week - Give Yourself Permission

Too often in life, we hold ourselves back. Whether that’s from doing what we perceive to be the right thing, or saying what we think needs to be said. In constantly holding ourselves back, we miss out on the unexpected parts of life, the moments of joy and surprise. We miss out on the bold and exciting opportunities that will come our way only a few times in a lifetime, because we are afraid. 

Constantly saying “I can’t” for made up reasons that really mean we haven’t given ourselves permission to be open to these sorts of experiences. We haven’t given ourselves permission to believe that we could do something meaningful and impactful in life. Meaning and impact doesn’t have to be on a grand level. Meaning and impact can be in the process of aiding just one person.

This also links to how we feel about ourselves. At a certain point in time, we have to give ourselves permission to feel good about who we are and what we are trying to do. If we constantly say “I’ll be happy when …”, what if you don’t get there? What happens then? What if along the path you realise you would rather pursue something else? Worse, what if you do achieve your goals and ambitions, only to realise they brought you no happiness. You then realise you could have just given yourself permission to see the good, to see the light in the world this whole time. Rather than punishing yourself until you reach your goal. You would have enjoyed the journey more, you would have been less worried about achieving the goal and more focused around what you are going through. You’d understand your goal is just a thing. Whether you achieve it or not you will move onto the next, as you get solace and enjoyment around the process of working towards something, not in achievement itself.

What areas in your life are you holding yourself back?

What areas do you feel like you want to change yet you're scared? Be that of failing, of looking a fool to others, or not being able to uphold your own standards?

We have to give ourselves permission to try the scary, to put ourselves out there, to be ourselves and stop portraying an image of who we think people want us to be. We have to give ourselves permission to fail. 

When we fail at something, we know we are operating at the extremes of our limits. On these edges, sure we fail, but we also grow at a rate we never realised before.

Give yourself permission to follow your curiosity, to follow what excites and invigorates you. 

No one else is going to do it for you.