Another Monday here and another transparency post. Seeing that it is Monday, you may be saying “I don’t need this kind of negativity in my life.” I promise you, no negativity here…just a big cup of realism coffee. You may be saying that you don’t need that either, but you saying that just may prove otherwise.

I’m going to start by saying that, this post is coming from my own thoughts about myself, meaning this post relates to me also. If I’m going to be real like this, I’m going to let you know that I either am going through it or have been through it. Now, it’s time to take your pill and get through the truth of it all.

Let’s talk.

I’m first going to speak personally. I know for a fact that I’m holding myself back. I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to continue to produce content that others are able to enjoy. I love it even more when I get actual feedback with people saying they love my posts and my content. With that being said, I feel that I could be further along in my journey if I didn’t hold myself back. Yes, I know that we as creators or just humans in general are often too hard on ourselves, but you have to determine if you’re being too hard on yourself or not hard enough.

That’s where the haziness lies.

At the end of the day, you have to sit down and ask yourself “Am I doing everything I could be doing to make it a step further to reaching my goals?” Not everything has to be so hard or time consuming either. It could be just taking the time to read a few tips on how to be better at your craft. Sis, you scroll through Instagram all the time and see creators providing tips in their captions, yet you just save the posts to read later but end up never getting to it.

I am sis. Sis is me.

Who else is sis? It’s okay, you can admit it. TBPD is a safe space where we don’t judge. The thing about holding yourself back is that it’s easy to either not realize it or cover up the fact with other things that are going on. No matter what you’re trying to do, life has a way of figuring out how to kick you in the ass. It’s amazing honestly.

Let’s try an experiment.

Think about all the craziness you’re dealing with. That could be work hours, kids, relationships, and more. Take all of that, roll it in a ball like you do your loads of laundry, and put it aside. Now let’s look at what you have.

Issue: My job is killing me through the week!

Solution: Looks like you’re left with a weekend to spare to take at least 30min of your time towards a goal or dream.

Issue: My kids take up a lot of my time!

Solution: They’re not up all the time. Bedtime for them could be worktime for you, or even waking up earlier could work as well.

Issue: My significant other has been neglected because of work and/or the kids. I need to give him/her some special time at least on weekends!

Solution: Quality time is very important, but you’re not attached to the hip. As I said, you could take time to do something simple like just reading tips on an Instagram post, and that can be done while in the bathroom. You can even watch Youtube videos on tips while getting ready for a night out.

Did you try out the experiment? If so, did you recognize yourself saying any of those things? What about still trying to make excuses after reading the solutions? It might be time to realize that you’re holding yourself back. The thing about realizing it, is now you have to work on fixing the issue. That is absolutely easier said than done! I know we love having accountability partners, which I highly advise you to get, but they can’t do the things for you. They can only push you, motivate you, and give you a stern talking to. After that, it’s all up to you. Trust me, I’m my own accountability partner and that’s not going too well.

At the end of the day, realize when you’re holding yourself back and when it’s time to make a change. Do a monthly assessment if need be. Whatever it takes to get you moving forward instead of backwards

If you made it this far, I just want to say thank you all for continually supporting me. I’m two years in and still growing and learning. There are so many things that I need to do in order to get where I want to be, big or small, and I appreciate you all sticking by me through the changes. I would also like to say that I didn’t add anything about mental health or disabilities, which can play a huge part in your motivation or energy to even do anything, no matter how bad you want to grow. Mental health day was this past Saturday, and as someone who constantly battles with anxiety and has dealt with moments of depression, I want to remind you all to take care of yourselves.

As long as you’re trying your best at whatever you do, then that’s good enough.