One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever heard – “DON’T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY.”
I tend to think and have very high expectations of myself (which is good), but sometimes it overtakes me and affects how I operate. I become this rigid mess of a person piecing things together that may not necessarily fit.
And It’s an exhausting place to be – high stress and high let downs.
Hearing those words – “DON’T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY.” felt SO freeing to hear (It felt freeing to write just now too)!
When I take a second to think about it, nothing is ever THAT deep. Perhaps that’s why “DON’T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY,” has resonated so much with me…
I want to accomplish my goals and live and thrive, but I also have to loosen up and enjoy the journey. Otherwise, I’ll miss everything and never quite get that “live” part down.
Since hearing and heeding this amazing advice, here’s what I’ve gained from it:
1. A constant reminder that nothing is really that deep. (And some amazing self-soothing moments where I’m murmuring to myself “chill out bruh.”)
2. Permission to forgive myself. I’m human and faulty. I’m allowed to make mistakes AND forgive myself for them too.
3. Trust that God’s on my side. If I’m following God and what I feel led to do, there’s no failure in that. I’ll Learn and gain something from everything that I do and get through any and every obstacle presented.
4. Focus on the important things. When that drowning or overwhelming feeling surfaces, being reminded not to take myself too seriously helps me simplify things mentally, which helps me to focus on the important things.
5. Freedom. Free to be in the moment and to learn and grow and enjoy the fact I’m not always going to get it right on the first, second or umpteenth try, but I am free to keep going and striving.
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Life gets sticky and difficult and challenging, but in the midst of everything we have to find peace and trust that everything will be completely ok. We have to learn to savor and enjoy and not get so uptight and serious about everything that we forget what we’re living for. If life becomes a bit blurry/hectic/overwhelming/hard look in the mirror and say – “DON’T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY.”
-Lauren
