Just wanted to provide a word of encouragement for everyone who is working on improving their social skills or other parts of their lives.
Give yourself grace to grow & improve. You can’t change the past. You can only control where you are right now, and where you’d like to go. It all begins with inputs.
Case in point, I’m 33 and have spent the majority of my 20’s/early 30’s battling anxiety & depression. My upbringing caused me to retreat from life & miss out on many experiences others had in my similar age range.
A couple months ago, I reached out to a coach for help to see how I can build the life I want. Since then I’ve invested in a few things:
\-A personal trainer
\-Nutrition plan
\-Gym routine
\-Therapist
\-Self help books
\-Skin care regimen
\-Pushing myself to interact with more people
I still have a lot to go (especially in terms of dating/career/social circle, etc) but one of the biggest changes I noticed from this current level of self investment is how much **I matter.** These little steps are gradually building my confidence to build the man I want to be for the rest of my life. I’ve lost 12 lbs, my physique is changing, my skin has cleared up a shit ton.
There’s been many times I’ve wanted to stop or get caught up in the fact that others are better than me because they’ve done what I haven’t yet. However, that self talk is defeating. Just because you can’t see the end point yet doesn’t mean your changes aren’t working. Progress isn’t linear.
If you feel ‘behind’ your peers, whether you know it or not, you can turn that feeling into something that sets your soul on fire and pushes you to become the best version of yourself. That’s what it’s done for me.
So don’t let the past keep you in cycles of regret. Turn it into motivation & let it fuel you.
You got this.