I Don't Have All The Answers

Recently I've seen a lot of blog articles with titles like "How I Completely Beat Procrastination" or "How to Eliminate Fear of Failure". The authors of these articles will have a lot of similarly titled articles on their site, meant to encourage people and give them a sense of hope that they too can completely eliminate common problems like procrastination or fear.

I have nothing against articles like this. Yes, I believe a lot of them are clickbait and don't really have much sustenance to them. However, I still believe a lot of the authors of these articles have good intentions and genuinely want to share things they have learned that have helped them to overcome their problems.

It's easy to look at so-called self-help gurus and wonder "why can't I be more like them"? It's easy to read articles like that or hear people tell stories about their success and think to ourselves that we'll never get there. I know I've done it. When people around me or online talk with such confidence about their success and how they overcame their challenges, I wonder when it's going to be my turn. When am I going to stop procrastinating? When will I stop being afraid of failure and take a big leap like starting my own business?

Recently, though, I've been thinking that no one has all the answers. Maybe John Doe from work really is better at not procrastinating than I am, but there are plenty of things I'm good at that he must wish for himself. I can think of several habits I have that other people must be jealous of. Not that I want people to be jealous, but my point is there are areas where I'm succeeding. I have a stable job, I'm good at going to the gym regularly, I'm good at avoiding unhealthy foods and drinks. There are plenty of people who must wish they were better at doing those things, and I'm certain there are at least a handful of online self-help gurus who wish they were better at some of the things I'm good at.

I guarantee you that there are things you're good at too that other people may envy. Just think of them. It might not make you feel any better, but it's a thought.

I don't have all the answers, nor am I going to pretend to either. I will write about new things I learn and lessons I have learned from mistakes I've made. But I don't have my life completely together the way I want. My point is that everyone has areas they want to improve in, even if it doesn't really seem that way when you look at other people.

Don't get me wrong, I fall prey to the trap of comparing myself to my peers ALL. THE. TIME. I see people that are in better shape than me or more confident or have better style and I wish I was like them sometimes. But I need to remember that I'm trying my best here. I actually care about improving myself and am trying to do that every day, no matter what that may look like for myself. Some days I'm not going to feel like I'm making any progress. That's a given. But I can look back on who I used to be and see how far I've come, and that at least gives me the energy to get up and go another day. I hope you're doing the same thing.