How To Be Proud of Where You Are And Where You’re Going Next

Chances are, at one time or another (maybe even now) you’ve been less-than-proud of where you’ve come from and where you’re at. You may be carrying shame and stigma connected to your past. You may feel like hiding out because you’re less-than-proud of what your life looks like.

Often times it’s expectations that make people feel ashamed or disappointed in themselves and their stories. It’s time to erase those thoughts from your head, let go of expectations and find confidence in all you’ve done to get right where you are today. And if you’ve been letting yourself down, it’s time to have faith in what you can do tomorrow.

Own Where You Are: Hold your head high. Where you are today doesn’t limit how far you can go. Being embarrassed, ashamed or feeling guilty about your current state only invites low self-esteem into your life. There is no shame in surviving a rough past, having a disease, going through divorce or not knowing what to do with your life. You’ve survived, are surviving and will survive. Be proud of that.

Own Where You’ve Been: Where you’ve been and what you’ve overcome is what has made you the person you are today. Maybe the you of today isn’t the you you’d like to be in the future, but your past has given you knowledge and experience, with which you can build up your best qualities. Without experience you lack a vital tool necessary to move onward and upward. Be glad for your experiences.

Build A Support System: Having people in your life that you can relate to (and who can relate to you) gives you an opportunity to connect with someone who you can share similar stories with. The same way people who are struggling with addiction, loss or mental illness join support groups, entrepreneurs create mastermind groups. No matter what you’re faced with in life, when you surround yourself with people who can relate, you instantly boost your own confidence.

See Challenges As Opportunities For Growth: Everything you go through gives you the opportunity to learn and grow. Be aware of what can come from your struggles. Look for ways to grow. Keep an eye out for lessons that can be learned. Don’t look at challenges as brick walls. They are bumps in the road that show you how to better navigate life.

Now I’d like to hear from you! What have you been ashamed of in the past that you now realize you can use as experience in the future?