What a week!


Hello...

So this last week was a really long, really busy one for me and I know a lot of family and friends who felt the same way. It felt like everytime I finished a bit of work, I had like 20 seconds to enjoy that triumph before I had to start looking at the next set of work. I was talking to one of my friends yesterday about this and about how we were feeling about school in general and one thing that we concluded was that we had to be intentional about enjoying the small vitories. Even though you may have a thousand more things to do after you finish what you're doing right now, you are allowed to enjoy the victory of finishing one task. Another thing we were talking about is how important it is to let yourself rest and have downtime even if the to-do list is not complete. When I was starting out school, it may have been a lot easier to finish my to-do list, but right now the work I have to do feels endless. And so while I gradually cross things off my list, I am learning to rest and sleep even if I haven't done everything because there will always be work to do. I can't keep procrastinating taking care of my health, waiting for that one day when I have absolutely nothing to do.

Today I was talking to another friend about football and she was asking me who my support system was. I mentioned my family because they definitely are. But I also mentioned me. And while this might sound pretty proud and I definitely felt that way right after I said it, I actually meant it. Somteimes when I am out on the field and I feel like I'm missing all my shots and giving bad passes, playing better has a lot more to do with my state of mind than my physical ability. And being able to calm myself down and remind myself that I am allowed to make mistakes can really make a huge difference in those moments. So I am definitely not encouraging pride, but I do think that we have to be our own cheerleaders. It's great to have a support system, but you have to be a part of your own community.

Finally, if you're like me and you tend to get down on yourself when you make mistakes, this is a reminder that making those mistakes does not make you a failure. It does not destroy or minimise your capabilities or yoour identity. I think sometimes, we try to do it all so that everyone thinks that we can do it all. And I'm realising that there is a lot less value in that than I previously thought. If I'm running around in circles trying to please everyone, while neglecting what I need or what I really want to do, then everything I do will suffer from my lack of involvement and support. Learning to stop letting what other people think drive my every decision has been something I've been working on for a long time and it's something I feel a lot stronger about at this point in my life.

God bless.

Dera

Comments

  1. Neto KaluNovember 13, 2021 at 1:27 PM

    Amazing!!
    I totally agree that we should be our own cheerleaders!
    Keep up the positivity:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. MichelleNovember 14, 2021 at 10:39 PM

    Thanks for this. It's really relatable. I wish you success at school!

    ReplyDelete

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