Journal Day #11

Sometimes it can be hard to hear criticism from others. I know for me it's something I may always struggle with- being a people pleaser, etc. At the same time though, constructive criticism can be very helpful, and allow us to look at ourselves in a new light and maybe even grow and change. Take a step out of yourself. If you were on the outside looking in, how would you critique yourself? What things do you see that could change or work on? This isn't about tearing ourselves down; it's about really looking at ourselves and seeing where there's room for growth.

A cheesy quote, perfect for this post. But cheesiness aside, can you relate?

Why is it so much easier to find fault in yourself than to recognize the good stuff? When I think back to last week it was difficult for me to come up with a list of the things I felt I was good at. But this week I was able to list quite a few things right off the bat that I either wished I was better or, or definitely saw a lot of room for improvement. And then of course it's hard to share those things in a public forum, you know? Sure it feels weird to be like "oh, I'm good at this. And this...and this too..." but I feel like it's such a vulnerable thing to say "yes, I am not so good at this," and put it out there into the world. But I guess that's the point of this whole exercise, so here goes.

I think one of my big things is taking on too much. I get REALLY excited about things, and want to do everything. And now with two kids, it's absolutely impossible to do even half of what I did before. But still, I'll want to say yes and do this and commit to that...but I'm working on reminding myself that 100% to ONE thing is better than half-assing a bunch of things. Huge lesson as of late. And that kind of goes into the next thing- the whole "quality over quantity" as far as relationships. I'm someone who loves, loves meeting new friends and making connections. However the older I get the more I also realize that I do not have the time to cultivate close bonds with every person I come across (and how silly does that even sound?). What I need to do is use the time I have to work on the relationships already in my life. This is hard for me because I want to connect and have all the time in the world for everyone, but over the past year or so I've become very mindful that time passes far too quickly to always count on having tomorrow with the people I love most.

Another big thing with me is being sensitive. I try so, so hard not to be this way because I think it causes me more heartache than necessary, but on the other hand I sometimes feel like feeling things- really feeling them- is awesome. So it's a tough one. But not taking things personally would be a big thing I will probably always be working on. I wear my heart on my sleeve and sometimes it's not the easiest. And then there are small things that I could list- not getting angry over silly things, thinking before I speak- online included, brushing off something that bugs me before it ruins my day...I think I could go on for awhile about the little things about myself that annoy me from time to time but I'll stop here! ;)

Sooo, that's my post. How about you? Share a blurb and a link below! And thank you so much for reading and participating- I'm going to take a couple weeks off from the project but I'll be back soon with a new prompt! xo

Read more about my Journal Day project here.

Read previous Journal Days here.