You aren’t jumping from nowhere to somewhere. You are always somewhere.” Lou Marinoff
In the world of science there is a concept called absolute zero. No, this is not a statistics class I promise my professors and family would not allow me to do anything with numbers. Absolute zero is present when the variable can truly be absent. For example it is possible to have no jelly beans while it is not possible to have no temperature. Yes, a thermometer can read zero but that does not mean that there is no warmth or no coldness.
Similarly, where we are does not have an absolute zero. You can never be nowhere. You may not be where you want to be making it feel like nowhere, but this is a problem of perception and self-talk.
Sometimes, we attempt to motivate ourselves to move forward by using negative self-talk about where we are. Thing is this may backfire contributing to low self-acceptance, which is where we offer ourselves unconditional self-worth no matter what is going on. This does not mean that we do not feel guilty when we act out of character or that everything we do is “correct” but, that we do not let our mistakes overshadow the person that we are. It is possible to be in self-acceptance and want to change at the same time. As a matter of fact, acceptance is required before we can plan of change that will work.
JOURNAL PROMPTS
1. How often do you take a harsh view of where you are to “motivate” change?
2. Do you find this to be helpful?
GUIDANCE
If you find the “stick” to be motivating do you think it would be beneficial to go about a more nourishing way to achieve goals? If you are unsure ask yourself if you would be interested in achieving goals without using energy needlessly and possibly enjoying the process.