Building a Strong Sense Of Self-Worth and Self-Awareness
Whether it dealt with relationships, places I’ve lived, or what I believed about life, there have been many times I’ve found myself having to start from scratch.
Starting over, in a new place, after a breakup, in a new job or embarking on a new business endeavor can be a liberating, yet uncomfortable feeling. It’s a feeling you should never shy away from because although daunting and intimidating at first, these moments are the building blocks toward new confidence, a new perspective, a new you. They are the experiences that contribute to your building a stronger sense of self-worth and self-awareness.
Here are some moments when I had to deal with the reality that it was me, myself, and I, starting over, again.
When…
I was the new girl at the three elementary and high schools I attended.
I stopped talking to my best friend in the 8th grade and found myself a loner at school.
My neighbors announced they were moving back to Mexico–this was a family of five siblings I spent every day with outside of school. My summer was officially over.
My family moved back to Texas and every friend I’d grown up with was left behind in Chicago. That included my boyfriend.
I became a mother and while transitioning into that lifestyle, I found a new circle of friends, only to find myself turned off by their competitive mommy behavior and walked away.
Moving to a new city with my family and feeling extremely happy, yet knowing I had to build new relationships for my children and myself again.
Considering all of the changes I’ve experienced and the many times my social life has seemingly gone into upheaval, I never worried about starting over. I felt a strong sense that I would rebuild what I once had and I would grow because of it.
Change was my friend. I looked forward to it, embraced it, made the best of it.
I have one brother and he never had trouble getting in where he fit in. He made friends very quickly. But me, I was picky with my company, very selective and took my time getting to know people. My brother many times thought I was a snob because of that, and probably many other people thought so too, but I wanted deep connections, true friendships.
When I first moved to Dallas, I attended a football game with my parents, because my brother had been invited by his new friends. I was sitting in the stands next to my mother and my brother brought his new friends to meet us.
When they left, my mother looked over at me and asked, “Do you have any friends?”
Nonchalantly, I said, “No. Not yet.”
She asked, “Why not?”
I said, “I’ve not found any I like yet.”
End of that conversation.
Since changes are inevitable in life, it’s important to “diversify your identity”, as my entrepreneurial crush, Tim Ferriss once said. In order to roll with the punches that life will bring, you can’t allow who you are to get wrapped up into one area of your life. As the saying goes, don’t put all your eggs…you know the rest.
Your ideas, interests, career, relationships, mind and body will change throughout the years, but the one thing that is constant is…CHANGE! Yes, you get the prize. Be willing to embrace it, seek it out, and accept it when it is out of your control. There are lessons to be learned and insights and wisdom to be gained from every transition you go through.
It’s all for the purpose to build a stronger sense of who you are and your place in the world.
What have been some of your biggest takeaways in moments when it was time to start all over–whether it was moving to a new city, ending a relationship, switching career paths, etc?
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