{"id":27542,"date":"2021-02-23T10:33:52","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T14:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=27542"},"modified":"2021-02-28T21:11:49","modified_gmt":"2021-03-01T01:11:49","slug":"give-yourself-credit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/give-yourself-credit\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Be Content in Life: Give Yourself Credit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you beat yourself up<\/a> for not being as far along in life as you thought you would be by now? Do you struggle to give yourself credit for your accomplishments? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women often beat themselves up about all the things they haven\u2019t yet accomplished. Give yourself credit for what you have<\/em> accomplished, be open to new dreams, and have faith that things are turning out just as they are meant to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to learn why you need to give yourself credit for your accomplishments instead of focusing on what you’ve yet to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Give Yourself Credit for Your Accomplishments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Women often beat themselves up about all the things they haven\u2019t yet accomplished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some even dread birthdays because they serve as a reminder of things they haven\u2019t checked off their to-do lists — and time is growing short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women may feel they\u2019ve fallen short on career, financial and personal goals if they\u2019re not a partner in the firm by 40, married with kids by a certain age, or haven\u2019t lost the baby weight. This can feel like you\u2019ve broken promises to yourself<\/strong>, and with every passing day and week you can feel farther and farther behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rachel Hollis, author of Girl, Wash Your Face,<\/em> also fell victim to this line of thinking, and through her experiences urges other women to stop focusing on what you don\u2019t have, give yourself credit for what you have accomplished, be open to new dreams, and have faith that things are turning out just as they are meant to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goals Don\u2019t Have an Expiration Date<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Negative self-talk<\/a> about what we have and haven\u2019t achieved is damaging. Imagine a baby taking her first steps, but her parents demand that she start running.<\/strong> Ridiculous, right? Yet we set these unrealistic expectations<\/a> for ourselves all the time, criticizing ourselves for what we\u2019re not<\/em> doing without celebrating what we have<\/em> accomplished. Give yourself credit for what you have <\/em>already done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goals don\u2019t have an expiration date; you can continue to strive to reach them.<\/strong> Try to relax about the goal-achievement timetable you\u2019ve set in your head and understand that \u201cGod has perfect timing.\u201d For the non-Christian, think of it as \u201cEverything is happening exactly as it\u2019s supposed to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are depressed about what you haven\u2019t accomplished by a certain age, perhaps you don\u2019t yet have the life experience to reach this goal. Just like a baby learning to walk, maybe you need to get your bearings for a while. Maybe that particular goal wasn\u2019t meant to be — something else might be coming for you down the road. Maybe you need to be in your current situation to be ready for your future.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with your list of goals, you have to give yourself some grace; beautiful things you never planned can happen in life. When you\u2019re agonizing over something not going right for you, think of this time as preparation for your future. Focus on what you have<\/em> done; give yourself credit for the tiny steps you have taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Universe Has Perfect Timing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The author illustrates the idea of \u201cGod has perfect timing\u201d with examples from her life that show things not going according to plan can work out exactly as they were meant to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n