How Self-Awareness Helped Me Get My Joy Back

Have you ever felt like your hard work was in vain and no matter how much you try to convince yourself that the “struggle” is worth it, things seem like they’re in a constant state of regressing instead of progressing?

That was the story of my life at work for the past several months.

I found myself getting bitter and consumed by all of the things that weren’t happening. I was planting negative seeds and disregarded my very own advice to sow good seed in the places where I want to grow.

A couple of days ago, I took a step back and realized that stressing and complaining about every “should’ve, could’ve, would’ve” situation in my life was weighing me down and sucking the life out of me. I wasn’t depressed, but I wasn’t living my best life either. It was in this moment of self-awareness that I realized that something had to change.

You might be wondering, “What do you mean by self-awareness?” When I use this term I mean knowing who you are and want you want from the universe. Merriam-Webster defines self-awarenss as “knowledge and awareness of your own personality or character; an awareness of one’s own personality or individuality.” It’s pretty much knowing who you are!

Let me give you a little background, I’m always thinking about what my next step in the corporate world will be. Of course I want to spread my wings and really grow within my profession and I felt a bit pigeonholed at work. So, when I was presented with a task that felt overwhelming, (It was a last-minute request to present to a fairly large group of people.) stress immediately ensued.

I’m not going to lie, the first thing that I did was panic and  complain to my boyfriend via text. As I was going on my little rant, I pretty much had an out-of-body experience. And as an outsider looking in, all that I could think was, “No ma’am, Margo, this isn’t you!” It was in that moment that I decided to channel my energy into executing the task at hand to my full potential.

I took some deep breaths, I went into the bathroom, looked in the mirror and spoke positive affirmations to myself, and encouraged myself to get back to the old me and not let people and situations affect my overall health, happiness and well-being. It worked. Not only did I execute the task at hand, I did so in a way that garnered lots of positive feedback and most importantly it assured me that I’m more than capable of overcoming obstacles when I channel my energy into increasing my self-awareness, self-love and self-care.

I’m sharing all of this to encourage you to love yourself enough to recognize your value and tap into your gifts. Don’t waste time nurturing toxic behaviors like complaining and allowing the actions of others to negatively affect your self-esteem! Sometimes, getting through trying times is a matter of showing up and showing out when unexpected situations occur, and other times it might be completely walking away from things that are not adding positive value to your life. Regardless of the choice you make, always remember that you are worthy of a joy-filled life and peace of mind. Don’t let anyone or anything take that away from you.

If you’re wondering about my outfit details, I snagged this romper on sale at one of my favorite stores AKIRA Chicago. While I love the bold, bright floral print pattern, it’s super-short so you might want to pass if you are leery of flashing you cheeks if a gust of wind blows in the right way! I paired it with a denim jacket from TJ Maxx and finished the look with orange PVC pumps from the June by June Ambrose collection for HSN.

Ciao Bellas,