Your Own Worst Enemy

It’s easy to make excuses. When something doesn’t go right, we can easily blame others involved. We can make ourselves the victim without much effort. We can make ourselves the unmade hero of our own story. If only the world would have treated us differently, then we could have really made something of ourselves. If only some specific person somewhere had reacted differently, then we would have really made something important happen. Pity parties don’t always end with childhood, even though they really should.

When it comes down to it, there will always be something imperfect in this world, something we can’t change, and things that bother us. People aren’t always going to treat us the way that we wish to be treated, or give us the response that we hoped for. Those people are not what hold us back from us getting what we want. If we want to make something happen, it’s up to us to make it happen. We need to push ourselves harder and not just try to win the benefit of the doubt when it comes to earning credibility.

Your own worst enemy is often going to be yourself. Not many people can readily admit when their own lack of effort results in an important loss. Who else is to blame for your shortcomings? We’re not meant to be perfect, but we sure have a lot more talent and ability than we often give ourselves credit for. Additionally, not only is hard work able to compensate for any lack of natural ability, we can always make something work if we commit to it. We just need to be willing to make sacrifices and commit the necessary time to effectively excel.

It’s important to note that not everything that we desire is worth achieving. Sometimes we think we know what we want, but life guides us differently. Our efforts may simply be an effort to try and improve our social status when we’d be better off actually improving who we are. No effort is in vain, even if it seems so. The initially misguided path can bring valuable experiences and understanding that wouldn’t have been learned unless we actually took chance and moved forward.

Most people are afraid of making mistakes – but mistakes can bring more good than we may think. They help us to understand ourselves in further depth. Success isn’t always what it seems and neither is “failure.” It’s all simply experience – experiences that expands your understanding of who you are, how the world works, and what your place is in it. Failure in a pursuit doesn’t mean were failure as a person, it simply means that we’re learning. Our value isn’t attached to isolated events. Inner value is separate from external actions, but eventually, these actions accumulate to assist us in being developed, mature, and understanding people.

For further related reading, please check out: Local Hero.