Working Hard Isn’t the Answer to True Success but Self Care is
After working hard all my life and bullying myself into doing things, I didn’t get the results I wanted. All I got was more stress
If you’re anything like me, you once believed that to be successful, you had to work hard and go all out! Maybe you still think that, and I understand. How can you be productive if you don’t hold yourself accountable?
That is a question I have wrestled with for a long time. But despite working hard my entire life and forcing myself to do things, I didn’t achieve the outcomes I desired; instead, I got more stress and more things to work hard on.
And it wasn’t the outcome I was hoping for because working hard isn’t the key to great success; self-care is.
I thought I would catch a break after all this effort. Instead, I worked until I broke down, only to restart everything from the beginning. It was exhausting!
I’m not going to lie; I accomplished several goals this way. But I struggled throughout and couldn’t even be glad for myself. And I consider it something other than actual success.
I feel successful when I have fun pursuing my goals and fill my days with joy and calm, even when unproductive.
I’m practical when I rest without feeling guilty and don’t worry about squandering time; I see it as charging my batteries.
The genuinely successful version of me is a badass who achieves all her goals while also taking care of herself so she doesn’t crash and burn now and again.
And here’s the most significant part: she’s happy while pursuing her dreams, not only when and if she achieves them.
If this approach excites you, you’ll appreciate the top three self-care tactics I’m about to share with you for actual success!
#1 Schedule delight
I know some of you may wince when you hear the words ‘ schedule’ and ‘joy’ combined, but hear me out: how many times have you been so preoccupied with work or studies, or even getting your business off the ground, that you stopped hanging out with your friends and doing the things that make you happy?
Some online individuals preach that you must sacrifice everything and focus solely on your goals, but the reverse is true!
Good companions will keep you calm and grounded, reminding you that you are not alone.
Doing things that make you happy can energize you, inspire your ideas, and make you more productive and likely to act on your aspirations and goals!
So, schedule that delight before you get caught up in the busyness, and enjoy your success and happiness!
#2 Practice coming back to the beauty of the current moment
Most of our stress stems from overthinking the future and obsessively focusing on the past as if hunting for evidence of what could go wrong. And we all know that isn’t conducive to success, right?
It will just make you nervous, obscure your judgment, and impair your decision-making skills.
I agree with projecting, visualizing a beautiful future, and occasionally reflecting on the past to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
However, please keep yourself in the present moment since that is when you can do what is best for you and your goals.
There are numerous ways to practice being present. You can practice thankfulness, mindfulness, and meditation, but I’d like to recommend a simple method that I enjoy: mindful alarms!
Grab your phone and set three to five alarms for various times of day. On the alarm label, put a brief reminder.
It may be ‘Take a deep breath,’ ‘Return to the present now,’ or whatever you wish.
Make it yours. The most crucial thing is that many alerts remind you to remain present.
But wait, there’s another advantage: you’ll check in with yourself throughout the day, automatically releasing stress and tension! Doesn’t that sound amazing?
#3 Use your energy levels, not against them
Let’s be honest: we all wish we could always perform at our peak. But that is simply impossible.
We are human, and it is natural for our energy levels to fluctuate, especially for women who have a cycle.
If you’re driven, this irritates you a lot. And I agree with you — it may be quite frustrating!
But we have a choice here: resist it, become even more frustrated, make mistakes, and perform averagely, or embrace it and make it work for us.
Are you ready to choose Option 2?
When it comes to our energy levels, we may go hard when we feel more energetic and make the most of our peak moments, and when we feel low, we can honor that by focusing on valuable but less demanding tasks.
This may be difficult for many people, especially if you need to establish your timetable.
Still, I encourage you to see it as something to embody rather than implement every second of the day.
Instead of pushing yourself to do more and beating yourself up for not being at your peak performance, accept it. You are only human.
Have you noticed how these days are ideal for connecting with intuition and reevaluating things? That is just as crucial as the hard work required for success.
Here’s how I view success and self-care.
The key to great success is not to focus on the summit of the mountain but to enjoy the journey and have everything you need to get there comfortably.
Yes, your feet may still hurt at the end of the day, but you can choose whether to wear unpleasant shoes and never stop unless you’re about to collapse or to put on your best mountain boots and take a break to appreciate the scenery and rest now and again.
So remember the three self-care tactics for success:
- Plan your joy.
- Keep returning to the present moment.
- Please work with your energy levels (rather than against them).
You deserve to respect yourself and your needs as you work towards achievement.
