BEAUTY LIES WITHIN OUR FLAWS: “THE ART OF LOVING YOURSELF”

Human beings, a puppet of mistakes!

?We often feel depressed after facing rejections or being unsuccessful in achieving our goals and start doubting our own potential but let me tell you my friend, we can do much better than what we think. I know it will take time but you will sail through it. The journey will be full of ups and downs but the miracle will happen for sure at the end. Think about ISRO’s scientists, they should have given up after the failure of Chandrayaan 2 which cost a hefty amount of 800 crores but they didn’t let that one failure define their worth. They learned from their mistakes and Chandrayaan 3 is proof of their ability to bounce back from setbacks with determination.

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1.??? Embracing Weaknesses

?Every human is bound to make mistakes as one can’t be perfect in whatever they do. In my childhood, whenever I made mistakes, I started doubting my ability and felt abandoned. This was my biggest mistake; from the very beginning, I had struggled a lot with Maths and found it quite uninteresting sometimes. Whenever I practiced Math problems at home, I somehow solved them but during exams, I made blunders and made really silly mistakes. People around me made me believe that Maths is not my cup of tea and I should cut all ties with it. However, I thought that it is essential to maintain a positive and constructive attitude towards areas where improvement is needed.

I believe that everyone has their own journey and they move through according to their own pace. The same thing happened to me. During my 12th class, I studied Maths daily but still, I was not able to perform well in periodic tests and preboard exams held at school because I was a slow learner. Unlike other people, I was not able to grab each and every concept by practicing it once, I needed- my heart, soul, and a lot of time to learn Maths.? People used to call me “stupid” and would rather laugh at me as I practiced a lot but still, I was not able to give my best. I took this criticism as a positive one and worked harder and harder.

From barely passing preboard exams to achieving an A grade in board exams, my hard work paid off in a remarkable way.

?If I had given up on my weakness that day, I wouldn’t have realized my ability to achieve goals beyond my interests.

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2.??? Accept It

?I bet each and every one among us has something or the other that doesn’t sit well with us. You may miss out on some interesting conversations because of your shyness, like me! Yes, I do feel shy sometimes. Or, you may find yourself not being prepared for something even though you know, how important was it to you. There is no harm in accepting your limitations which is the first positive step towards self-acceptance. This reflects how strong you are! It’s okay to be yourself. Accept who you are, how you look, what you want to be what can you do, and what you can’t do. This will not only help you develop confidence but also you will know more about your areas of interest.

?Accepting certain realities enables you to manage your emotions instead of deceiving yourself into believing that you can accomplish something that is beyond your capability.

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3.?Listen to your heart and do whatever YOU want to do.

?I understood that in order to reach somewhere, I had to step outside my comfort zone; decided to pack my whole life in just 3 suitcases, left everything behind, and came to a different state for higher studies. Leaving my family and friends evoked guilt within me but I know that, in the end, it will be worth it! At times, you need to set aside other considerations and make yourself a priority. That doesn’t mean that you are selfish, you’re simply following your own path and pursuing what truly matters to you. When choosing an unconventional path, you will definitely commit mistakes but don’t let those mistakes diminish your confidence. Do learn from your mistakes, that’s how you will grow in life.

Your gut feeling matters a lot. If it is a NO’, leave that particular thing right there but if it is a slight feeling of ‘YES’, do give it a try. Never ever second guess yourself! Decide! Just make a decision because in some way or another other, it will help you for sure. Don’t be in a dilemma about whether you will be able to do that thing or not, that will slowly kill you from the inside. Just go for it. It’s not about winning or losing; in the end, you will be proud of your learnings. You won’t regret it later. This is how life goes on and on. Do what you want to do; experience new and crazy things, have a strong and healthy network of people, try to complete everything you included in your bucket list, and don’t forget to seize every opportunity that comes your way.

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4.??? Have a strong mindset

Many people miss out on opportunities due to fear of being judged. They fear; what people will say if they make a mistake, that time you have to remind yourself that everyone makes mistakes and there are opportunities for growth. Instead of thinking too much about it. It'd be great if you could shift your focus to finding solutions and making improvements. There is no harm in asking for feedback from others involved in the situation. Take it easy; attitude matters a lot, and sometimes laughing at yourself in a light-hearted way can make the mistake seem less serious. This perspective encourages resilience in the face of mistakes. This will help you to manage and control your emotions.?

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5.??? Have a healthy network of people

?Befriend people who you think will contribute to your well-being and personal growth. Those are the people with positive vibes and rocking energy. They are the non-judgemental, empathetic peeps who are attentive listeners and will offer you a deeper understanding of things rather than laughing at you whenever you commit mistakes. Keep these people close to you, they are the real ones.

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You will meet a lot of people with fixed mindsets; they avoid challenges, avoid efforts, get discouraged easily by setbacks, and rather than encouraging you to try new skills they will demotivate you by saying that “you are not good at this” or “you won’t be able to do it” because they themselves are highly averse to failure or don’t have courage to accept their mistakes. Being defensive of your mistakes is a personal attack on your capabilities and development.

They tend to attribute success to luck or fate and failure to personal shortcomings or a particular situation rather than introspecting themselves to know where things went wrong. They shy away from putting in effort and believe that they will achieve whatever they want if they are talented in all aspects. But, let me tell you; no one is perfect and talented in all aspects. We grow when we learn and we learn through our mistakes. Those people limit themselves and resist learning, sticking to what they know rather than stepping into new areas full of growth opportunities and challenges. Try to avoid these kinds of people as they will hinder your overall growth. Don’t pay attention to people like them who are always into making fun of people’s limitations.

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6.??? Don’t compare yourself

?Earlier, I had a very bad habit of comparing myself with others; this made me unconfident and insecure about my abilities; (“if someone can excel in a particular task, why can’t I? “Why I am not good at this?” “Why I am weak at this particular subject?” I used to ask these questions to myself”).

Comparing yourself with others is like measuring your worth by someone else’s ruler; it often leads to unnecessary self-doubt. Remember one thing, apples can’t be compared to oranges, both are different; like them, we also all have our own separate journeys and are trying to sail through every phase of life in our own way. There is nothing to do with what others are doing and what they have achieved.

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Embrace yourself unconditionally, no matter what, celebrate your achievements; whether big or small, and master “THE ART OF LOVING YOURSELF”. With this kind of mindset, victory in half the battle is already secured. Remember, it’s not about being better than others; it’s about being the best version of yourself.

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“Stay tuned for our next blog post. Until then, keep that flame of motivation burning and let it light your path to success. Keep believing in yourself.? Last but not least, it’s not about how many times you fall; it’s about how many times you rise. Thank You!