Peace of Mind
In a Haze:
Finding Yourself in the Fog
What eats away at you: failure, loneliness, insignificance, mediocrity, jealousy, depression? There are many things that keep me up late at night. It can get hard. We are all on a journey and for myself, holistically, I want to get everything right: my health, my work, my relationships and dreams. So when we lose sight of our goals and things start to get foggy, how do we get back on track?
Self-Awareness & Honesty
The hardest and most important step is to be honest with ourselves. In a fog, we can get away with seeing enough, but not always clearly. We can tell ourselves that we are okay and that this is enough. But is it really? We are not perfect. We make mistakes. But in order to grow from them, we need to recognize these weaknesses, plan how to solve them and grow from them when these situations come around again. I find that I fall into the same mistakes until I learn from them. Once you learn from your mistakes, they become lessons.
It is not only about being honest with your weaknesses, but also your strengths and improvements. For example, I would get so stressed after failing to wake up early to work out. I would get disappointed in myself and it would set an awful tone for the day, even the week. But now, I know that I can make time later and if not try again tomorrow. It is not worth losing your motivation and positivity in a little mishap. If anything, we are defined by how we manage and pick ourselves up after failure.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Our actions and decisions define us. Anyone can say anything they want about themselves. Therefore, I am a little doubtful in believing something someone tells me. So I look at what they do. Because by what someone does, they define what they mean. For example, I can say that I want to travel. But all I do is eat out and go shopping. With a goal to take a trip, someone who wants to go does research, budgets, saves and implements a plan.
It is the same with our own vision. I want to own a business and have a family. So the plan is to reverse engineer this goal into steps that I can follow now. I will need to learn how to run a business, build relationships with clients, gain experience and trust from clients, and develop my skills and craft. These goals can become even more defined into living a healthier lifestyle to stay strong, reaching out to fellow creatives and prospective clients to talk about projects or even disciplining myself to focus on your work or managing my time better.
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
The vision and goal is half the journey. Situations can make you lose sight of these dreams. But when you are constantly working towards them, when the intention of what you do is connected to where you are going, the fog begins to fade. What was hazy becomes clear. However, it does not mean you will always be out in the clear. That is why self-awareness, honesty, your decisions and actions will reflect where you are in a fog — Are you okay to fade into the uncertainty or stay in-touch with who you are and where you are going? ■