Have you lost yourself in the obsessive cycle of achievement?
Many of us chase career titles, money, social status, and everything that society believes is glamorous.
In the struggle of finding success in our life, we lose sight of what we want and frequently find ourselves acting the way others want us to rather than how we actually want to.
We grow distant from who we are, lose our courses and feel devastated, unappreciated, and unmotivated
But this is not what we were designed for because we all are born for a purpose in life.
Once you know who you are, you will finally see where your specific gifts fit into the bigger picture.
If you’re willing to embark on a quest to reclaim and reconnect to your true self, here are some actions to take.
I. Question Your Limiting Beliefs
What beliefs are holding you back?
It is essential to be aware of these beliefs so you can work on releasing them.
Certain beliefs can hinder your success. For example, the thoughts of “I don’t deserve this.”, or “Who am I to do this...”
However, there are also some limiting beliefs you may not be aware of, such as the thoughts of “That’s gonna be a lot of work...” or “I am too busy for that.’’
What do these thoughts mean?
They could be an internal conversation that says, “I can’t do it.”
It’s important to acknowledge that this type of belief might be holding you back in life.
Whenever these kinds of questions show up, ask yourself, “Is that true? What if…”
I would also suggest you self coach yourself to differentiate your opinions about yourself from facts.
My favourite self-coach model is developed by the life coach school, which I strongly recommend you check out.
The model asks you to write down the facts and give that a new and empowering thought so that you can be inspired to take the action that leads to the desired outcome.
II. Consume Less and Create More
I love this question posed by Omar Itani:
Do you want to define your life by self-expressive creation or mindless consumption?
You can spend days browsing, scrolling, or turning pages, and it will lead you nowhere. A happy and fulfilled life is one with purposes, so put more effort into creating meaningful work rather than mindlessly consuming content.
I strongly recommend you unplug yourself from social media for a while to gain your mental space.
I now only log in to my Instagram once a month, and my mind is honestly feeling lighter and calmer than ever.
By removing my focus on other people, I could find my voice and create content and art that speaks to me.
Speaking about creating more, I also need to talk about the deep work advocated by Cal Newport. Cal Newport defines deep work as
“Professional activity performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that pushes your cognitive capabilities to their limit.”
This is what you need to do to get into a good rhythm. The more and deeper you work, the more authentic voice that comes out of you.
III. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
I think that when you focus on creation rather than consumption, you should not have this problem. But I still feel like reminding you.
Comparison is a losing game our mind plays with us when we’re not mindful. It gives us nothing but insecurities and jealousy, a total waste of our mental energy.
To yourself free from the comparison trap, ask yourself what success means to you and be sure that that is what you’re focusing on achieving.
Also, surround yourself with the people you want to be like but don’t compare them to yourself because you’re striving for inspiration, not comparison.
IV. Reconnect with your Dreams
What would you pursue if you already had everything you needed in life?
This is a question I often ask myself to make sense of what kind of life I want.
The last thing I want is to get stuck in a rat race that leads nowhere.
Of course, as I’ve grown, my passions have changed. But what has never changed is that I am always dedicated to creating something expressive.
My thing was painting before, but now it is more about creating content like videos and blogs.
I make time to do these things, even though they have nothing to do with my career in finance, because I strongly believe that someday, they will lead me somewhere fun.
What dreams have you been putting off to live the status quo?
Someday we will all lie on our deathbeds and reflect on what we have done and haven’t, and I don’t want us to look back in regret at what could have been.
Pick 1–2 dreams and make a plan to start pursuing them.
V. Remind Yourself Of Your Power To Do Anything, And To Change
You are what you tell yourself, and no one can break you unless you allow them to. One of my favourite ways to boost my self-confidence and self-belief is to repeat positive affirmations to yourself every day. My favourites are:
I have my back no matter what.
I was made for this.
I always have a choice, and I can change.
I am strong and capable.
I am exactly where I need to be.
I have also been practising this 5-minute self-belief meditation by Kim Newing for close to a year now, and I find it truly powerful and empowering. I strongly recommend you to check that out as well.
Final Thought
Rediscovering yourself is not an easy task, and everyone’s journey is different. So don’t be too hard on yourself and give yourself some credit for taking the first step in letting go of any masks you wear daily.
I hope you got some valuable pointers from this article. If you want to learn more about how to reclaim your emotional, spiritual and financial sovereignty, be sure to check out my pages / YouTube channel.
