Self-Doubt: Are You Feeding The Seeds Or The Weeds In Your Garden Of Potential, Happiness, & Success?
Henry David Thoreau once said that “there is no value in life except what you choose to place upon it and no happiness in any place except what you bring to it yourself.” One of the hardest things to obtain in life is true happiness, and we often spend endless amounts of time searching for it everywhere but the one place it exists – within ourselves.
From Refugee To President
In my book, Beyond Beauty – A Refugee’s Journey in Pursuit of Happiness, I share my personal and professional path to success and happiness. I’ve learned so much along my journey from refugee to president of one of the most prestigious organizations in the world, and I feel it’s my duty to share it with those facing self-doubt and struggling to keep pushing forward in the face of adversity.
Despite putting up a good fight, I still wasted years of my life falling into the trap of listening to myself and others tell me I wasn’t “good enough,” “pretty enough,” “smart enough,” and/or “talented enough” to achieve my goals and aspirations. Sound familiar?
There’s an endless stream of people in the world hinging their own success and self-worth on you believing just such lies about yourself. You can also sometimes even be your own worst enemy when you begin to regurgitate the “I’m not enough” mantra toward yourself.
My book’s focus is about showing you a very simple truth. You are always enough if you believe you are enough.
Are You Feeding The Seeds Or The Weeds?
Imagine your potential in the form of a garden. You have rich soil and all the seeds are planted. Negativity, whether self-imposed or listened to from others, is the weeds. By feeding the weeds instead of the seeds, you allow those weeds to choke out your potential from the sunlight and water (aka opportunities.) Your garden is unable to grow and blossom.
Reclaim What’s Yours
Are you feeding negativity weeds and allowing it to hold you back? If so, it’s time to reclaim your garden by accepting reality and learning to love yourself.
Self-acceptance is a big buzzword for all generations of women and men today. Thanks to science connecting self-esteem to everything from success to happiness, social media, pop culture, and even marketing all tout the importance of such universal acceptance.
The problem is that so few of these entities are actually taking the strides to make building and maintaining your self-esteem a reality. Why? They often inadvertently feed your weeds.
We all know that those suffering from low self-esteem rarely set long-term goals, rarely chase their dreams, and often believe that effort is a fruitless expenditure. And, on the rare occasion they do try and meet failure, they’ll often use the setback as validation for the “not enough” mentality. Of course, the cycle of low self-esteem often runs alongside depression.
The influence of the digital age, where social media often dictates your perception of yourself, doesn’t help in this dangerous and depleting cycle.
Icons, celebrities, and influencers in the fashion and fitness world are merely a click away today. While many of these figures are seemingly benignly displaying their own talents, skills, and beauties to the world, they can also have an unintended effect. How? Onlookers often view it all as an unobtainable standard vs. setting their own standard that applies uniquely to them.
Regain Control Over Your Life’s Direction And Path
Ultimately, self-acceptance is a self-started and self-motivated concept. The key here is realizing that happiness and self-acceptance starts in a place where you bring it to yourself.
You’ll be amazed at how just a little progress can start transforming the way you view yourself and your motivation levels. Once moving in the right direction, it becomes easier than ever to regain control over your life.
The reason I can lead by example and be strong for others today is because I’ve been there, done that, and have the battle scars to prove it.
I’m speaking to you today as an empowered female, entrepreneur, author, and president of one of the most prestigious organizations in the world, but the roots of my now flowering garden began in a refugee camp overgrown with weeds of self-doubt.
Beyond Beauty – A Refugee’s Journey in Pursuit of Happiness is a testament to that journey and all about sharing how to beat back those self-doubt weeds once and for all so that you can be the best you possible.
