Are you taking yourself seriously? Really taking yourself seriously?
I’ve been asking myself this question ever since I had an eye-opening conversation with a friend earlier in the summer, and I’ve been quite surprised to realise how much I actually don’t take myself seriously at times.
The conversation happened in August, when my friend asked me how I was going to celebrate the upcoming released of From Coping to Thriving. I replied that I wasn’t really planning anything, I had a lot to do, etc. etc.
She replied that it was worth celebrating and that I should take myself seriously.
Touché…
She saw the part of me that was saying “Well, it’s not really a proper book launch, I mean, it’s self-published so it’s not really that big a deal…” when I was doing my best to ignore this part because it provoked a lot of self-doubt. In her very gentle-but-honest way, she told me to stop dragging myself down and to do something to celebrate.
I’ve remembered this conversation many times over the past few weeks because it applies to so many different situations.
Why taking yourself seriously is important
Whenever we don’t make time to celebrate our achievements and honour what is meaningful to us, we’re not taking ourselves seriously
Whenever we shoo away positive feedback, mentally or literally, we’re not taking ourselves seriously.
Whenever we tell ourselves that our dreams are nice and all, but they’re unrealistic, we’re not taking ourselves seriously.
Whenever we don’t make time for self-care, we’re not taking ourselves seriously.
Whenever we talk ourselves out of a great opportunity, we’re not taking ourselves seriously.
Whenever we fail to share all the amazing things we’re doing and creating in our lives, we’re not taking ourselves seriously.
Whenever we talk ourselves down, we’re not taking ourselves seriously
Whenever we say that “It’s not a big deal” when it is, “I’m not too bothered” when we are, or “I don’t mind” when we do, we’re not taking ourselves seriously.
And when we don’t take ourselves seriously? We miss out. Other people miss out.
You’re reading this now because I took this idea seriously. Here’s why the world needs you to start taking yourself seriously:
Every website you visit, every piece of music you hear, every movie you see, every book you read, every gadget you use, every building you visit, everything man-made that you experience—it all exists because at some point at least one person took themselves seriously (even when other people around them didn’t).
When we take ourselves seriously, we have so much more to offer the world than when we don’t.
Is this resonating? Here are three things I’ve found helpful for taking myself seriously over the past few months:
1. Start asking “Why not”?
One of the most common ways I don’t take myself seriously is that I sometimes believe the voice inside me that says “You can’t do that,” “You don’t deserve that,” or “You’ll never be able to get that idea off the ground.”
Just questioning this voice is perspective-shifting.
2. Be impeccable with your word
Overall, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is a little woo for me, but one of the four agreements he talks about in the book definitely applies to this situation: be impeccable with your word.
In this context, this means if you tell yourself or other people that you’re going to do something, do it. The more you are impeccable with your word, the more you will take yourself seriously.
3. Remember that how seriously other people take you depends on how seriously you take yourself
If we gauge how seriously to take ourselves by how seriously other people take us, it’s not going to happen. It’s not other people’s job to take us seriously and remind us of this all the time, it’s our job to remind them.
What can you do to start taking yourself seriously and owning your qualities, gifts and skills this week?
