50+ Check-in August 21-24, 2023

For me, it's not as much encouraging myself as it is the motivation behind the action, if that makes sense. The motivation is my encouragement. In your example, my motivation behind a DIY project would be saving money or on the opposite side, paying for repairs to be done to save myself some aggrevation and keep my sanity.

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Hi, everybody,

How do you encourage yourself when you're trying something new? Can you share an example of a situation in which you encouraged yourself to keep going?

I had a very bad day yesterday. I am starting school in a university for a masters degree. I don't have any friends, and yesterday I was feeling like ending it. I don't know if all the pressure just got to me or it is my chemical imbalance or both. But I was in tears. I remembered a sign i have posted in my car. "I have already been through ***. So I know that if I just keep moving forward, putting one foot in front of the other, that I can make it again." And I started thinking about the *** I have been through before, compared to what I am going through now. Yes, I am under pressure, but I am living where I want. Yes, I am starting a new job but it is a much better environment. Yes, I have a lot of responsibility in school, but I am doing this to get a good job when I graduate. Yes, I will be under pressure, but I told myself I can do it for 2.5 years. Compared to the hells I've been through in the past, this is a light ***. I can do the homework. I just have to stay ahead of the assignments. I don't understand some things, but I can ask questions. I am choosing this path so I can graduate, get a good job, and only work. I don't want to go to school and work at the same time again. I can also try to make new friends and journal. The supposed friend I had wasn't really my friend. I thought she wasn't, and I was right.

@amiablePeace77

Ok I have a relative he works in academia for a famous name university. I had borrowed quite a chunk of money from him to set up my apartment. He knew I couldn't repay the money so we had planned I would work some of his projects instead.

He sends me this paper intended for a journal publication. It has his name on it as well as authors from his university as well as from another famous organization. My heart sunk into the basement. I don't have a degree!!! I never finished college!!

But I had to do it; I owed him! Oh what to do???

I had bought a lamp and table set, and a power screwdriver. Laboriously I put it all together, safe and secure, turned on the lamp! It worked!!

And after doing that, I said to myself, I will value myself as my relative has valued me: worthy and able to edit this paper.

I dove in and I was your worst nightmare English prof; lots of edits comments etc.

Sent it and prayed.

I got this email, he told them work off her edits!! Go!!

I was WOW that worked!!!

And that taught me sometimes you do stuff just by doing it. Don't ask for permission.

⭐️Just Do It!!!⭐️

How do you encourage yourself when you're trying something new?

I guess I've tried a few things new during some of the group sessions I've attended in the past few years. It was new for everyone attending, so we were on an equal footing. I'm thinking of the creative writing group I facilitated for a few months. We were wrting very short stories based on writing prompts. Coming up with a story or two within an hour was a new thing for me, but interesting. I kept in mind that I can do pretty well at that sort of thing.

Can you share an example of a situation in which you encouraged yourself to keep going?

I've mentioned this before, but when I read the story of my childhood abuse out loud to a group of six women (I'm a man), including my therapist, I was nervous to an extreme. I kept in mind that I was finally getting this off my chest somewhat and that far outweighed any other factor. It was also giving them some insight on a male's experience.