How to Champion Your Success & Be Your Own Best Friend
You’re the personal cheerleader to yourself
Photo by Jacob Rice on Unsplash
I hate myself. That’s what you think every time you see your reflection. Once again, you’re reminded of all your flaws and everything you’re doing wrong.
All you do is bring yourself down. You constantly self-sabotage and feel like an imposter in your skin. You are your worst enemy, but you don’t want to be.
You wish you could change the cycle of negative self-talk. You wish you didn’t self-sabotage. You wish you were proud of yourself.
The best thing you can ever do for yourself is become your best friend. Nobody else is going to champion your success as hard as you will.
Learn to stand up for yourself and cheer yourself on when you’re down. After all, you might as well be your best friend. Here are a few ways you can do it.
Words matter
You listen to the inner chatter going on in your brain. You’re more of a bystander than anything else, letting your thoughts run wild. Your thoughts are not the ones with the power. You are.
Start to catch yourself when you’re thinking negative thoughts. Don’t do anything at first. Just become aware of them. As you become aware, you’ll become equipped to deal with them.
Once you’re aware of your negative thoughts, it’s time to reframe them. When you have a thought you don’t like, stop yourself and rephrase it.
Maybe, you think, “I hate myself.” You don’t have to pretend and love yourself right away. But be aware of it and instead think, “I’m working on myself.”
The goal is not to hate yourself.
Use affirmations and gratitude to combat the negativity. Showing appreciation for things in your life will train you to look for good things. As you do this, you’ll find more positive things happening.
Consume positivity wherever you can. You have control over what you consume. Don’t fall prey to advertisements and scams designed to harm you. Block them. Delete their number.
The best thing you can do is make a conscious effort to bring positivity into your life.
Your feelings matter. Your life matters. There’ll be people who try to drag you down. People who are uncomfortable with you growing and doing the work. They’re going to be nasty.
Rise above it.
Stay in your lane
Focus on the things you can control. You can’t control how others react, but you can control how you react. When other people are nasty, it’s a reflection of them, not you.
You can control your actions and how you respond to life. You can be intentional about what you consume. It’s hard, but it’s worth it.
This step is hard, but stop comparing yourself to others. Everybody has their journey. You can’t compare your start to someone else’s middle. Everyone goes through life at different speeds — that’s not bad. It just is.
Acceptance is a large part of your journey. Learning to accept the things you can’t change and do something to change the things you can.
Do your best to stay in your lane. Put on blinders and get tunnel vision. You're letting them win if you’re busy worrying about someone else or what they think. The more you can focus on creating your best life, the better off you’ll be.
Scribble it out
It’s going to take time. But keep taking action and putting in the repetitions. If you’re struggling, try journaling.
To increase your self-confidence, make a list.
5 things you’re good at
5 things you like about yourself
5 challenges you’ve faced and accomplished
You’re retraining your mind. This is a difficult task. Don’t let that scare you. Let your fears show you the way.
Figure out what you’re afraid of. If you can do something to face it, do it.
I used to be afraid of failing. I thought I was a terrible writer and would never make it. But I got up every day, and I published an article. I faced my fear head-on and won.
Best friends forever
Being your own cheerleader and best friend is the best thing you can do for yourself. In the end, you are all you have. If you’re unhappy with yourself, you’ll lead an unhappy life.
You must find happiness and peace in yourself. Otherwise, you’ll never be at peace.
But, when you become your best friend, life gets easier. Because you’ll always be able to count on yourself, you’ll always be able to pick yourself up when you’re down.
Best friends may not be for a lifetime, but you and yourself are.
Ready to level yourself up and become the best version of yourself? Download my free journaling guide now.
Maggie Kelly is a freelance writer who writes about mental health, self-help, and psychology. Contact at maggiepkelly@gmail.com
