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Being Proud With Your Progress…And Not Comparing Yourself With Others

Hi everyone! Long time no write! As I touched on in my last post, I began my first official job. Therefore I’ve been busy and don’t have as much time to write. However, I wanted to take the time today to share with you the importance of being proud of ones progress and trying our hardest to not compare ourselves with others.

I’m not going to lie, it’s hard for me not to compare where I am in my life with where everyone else is. In terms of where I am, there are a lot of people who are further. I am almost thirty and as I reach that milestone, I start to reflect on where I could be in my life and yes, I begin to feel a little depressed. However, I start to realize something else – that I have made a lot of progress and you know what? It feels amazing! For the longest time I thought that I wouldn’t be able to get better at certain things because of my anxiety and you know what? I have! For the longest time I thought I wouldn’t find a job where I could work at home. You know what? I have! Not only that, but I truly feel that I’m doing a great job.

So yes, maybe I’m not as ‘far along’ with my achievements as some other people are at this age. Yes, I still struggle with anxiety and I still wish that it didn’t hold me back from doing certain things. But you know what? I’m trying my hardest and I am making progress. There is no doubt in my mind about that. None whatsoever. I am proud of how far I’ve come. I’m proud of my success and achievements. I’m going to keep working hard to get through my anxiety and I’m not going to give up. I believe that if I continue to face my anxiety on a consistent basis that I will make even more progress and hopefully, one day reach a point where anxiety will no longer hold me back from what I want to do.

I know that it’s hard not to compare ourselves to others. We see others who are closer to their goals than we are. Then there are some people who make rude comments or say hurtful things. It stops and makes us wonder if they’re right. I know what it’s like to wonder if I’m a failure. Let me tell you something. If you’re trying your hardest on a consistent basis then you are not a failure. Things take time and it’s okay if you’re not exactly where someone else is in life. What matters is that you continue to strive to make your life better. If you want to compete with anyone, compete with yourself. Make it your goal to make more progress so you can be more like the true version of yourself, the one that is not held back by negative obstacles.

I wish each and every one of you the best. Please remember to be proud of your progress!

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Getting Better (and recognizing it)!

I’ve been reflecting lately on something extremely important – how I really have made a good amount of progress when it comes to getting through my anxiety. While I admit that I’m still not where I want to be in terms of not allowing anxiety to interfere with my life, I also see that I’ve made a lot of improvements and that I’m quite proud of myself.

I can’t speak for everyone, of course, but I know that for me, one of my biggest fears is that I’ll never get through my anxiety like I want to – that anxiety will always hold me back from what I want to achieve. I hate the idea of never overcoming my fears and it scares me that there’s a possibility that I’ll always feel enslaved to something so awful. However, I also realize that because I’ve made so much progress, with hard work, I can continue to do so. This is a wonderful feeling.

It is so important that we recognize our progress – I can’t express this enough. Recognizing our achievements helps us to realize all that we can do and that overcoming and standing up to our fears isn’t as impossible as it may have originally seemed. Just because it may take more time than we’d like for us to make the amount of progress we want to see, doesn’t make it any less important and praise-worthy.

I want to tell you all something else that is very important – no matter how many steps or how small the steps might seem, every positive step towards progress matters! Don’t let anyone tell you anything different. If you’re taking positive steps in the right direction, it matters! Hard work matters!

 

 

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Taking Note of The Good Days

Yesterday I had a great day. In fact, I’ve had a couple of really good days lately. The first time, I went out to eat with some family members and was pretty relaxed the whole meal – I did extremely well!

I think it’s important for us to recognize when we do well. We spend so much time berating ourselves when we struggle, that I think we sometimes forget the importance of tapping ourselves on the shoulder when we succeed. There is nothing wrong with taking pride in our progress, no matter how big or small these achievements may seem to others.

Each step we take is important. Every time we succeed, we see just how strong and capable we are. To not take note of our progress would be a huge mistake! We need to build ourselves up, not constantly focus on bringing ourselves down.

So next time you notice yourself making progress, write it down. Reward yourself by telling yourself what a great job you did. Heck, if you want, treat yourself to a little something!

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Stop Beating Yourself Up!

Stop beating yourself up! Easily said, easily done, right? Not so much. I’m always trying to explain that just because one may struggle with something or not get something done at the same pace as someone else, that it doesn’t make them pathetic or a failure. I believe this, I really do, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t times when I don’t find myself thinking how pathetic I must be to struggle the way I do.

I’m not proud of this – but these are the facts. I don’t have a job right now, I still live at home with my family, and anxiety still effects me a great deal. I hate struggling with anxiety, I truly do, but that’s how it is right now. I try hard on a daily basis to get better and I hope that one day, anxiety will no longer hold me back from accomplishing all that I want to do.

Society tells us that if we don’t all do things at the same time, then we must be pathetic or that something must be wrong with us. THIS IS NOT TRUE! This should not be used an excuse not to try our hardest to overcome our obstacles, but we should not think ourselves pathetic or abnormal for not always meeting society’s standards. We all deal with different things and we all accomplish our goals at different times. What’s important is that we always try our hardest to get through whatever it is that’s holding us back and that we NEVER GIVE UP!

As I was lying down this morning, feeling pathetic, I realized something. I want to work, I want to be more independent, I want to get through my anxiety. The reason for me not having a job is not out of laziness or not wanting to do something more with my life, but because my anxiety is so severe. Also, it’s not as if I’m not trying to get better. I’m trying every single day! Also, I’ve made progress and I’m not useless – none of us are! I am a freelance writer for a great website, I’ve written and published two books and am currently working on my third, and I’ve made and am continuing to make progress when it comes to getting through my anxiety. All of these things are important! All of these things matter!

So remember, it doesn’t necessarily matter if you’re meeting society’s standards and expectations. What matters is that you’re trying your hardest to overcome your obstacles. No one but you knows exactly what you’re struggling with, no one but you can make your life all it can be. If you’re trying your hardest to get through what’s holding you back and if you refuse to give up on your goals, that’s what’s important!

 

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Book Goal: Help Me Reach 20 Books!

Hi everyone! So as many of you may know, I published a book last October titled, Rest in Piece! This is my first novel ever and I am so proud of myself for accomplishing the dream of officially becoming a published author!

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who has already purchased my book – I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it! You’ve made me so happy. Thank you also to everyone who has reviewed and rated my novel, along with interviewing me about my work!

Right now, I have sold a total of 12 books. Since having goals is always a positive thing, I’ve decided to make a goal for selling books. For now, my goal is to sell 20 copies. That’s just 8 more to go!

I understand that it can be hard buying a book from an author that you’ve never heard of before. I also understand that we all don’t have the money to buy tons of books (I’m right there with ya!). I thought I would just take the time to share this goal with you and give you some details about the book!

Here’s what it’s about:

“Louise, though young, has never been one to believe in the supernatural, fantastical, or surreal. However, when she sees something unusual in a puzzle left by the previous residents of her new home, she begins to wonder if there really is something to the stories that only some have read about in books.

Louise soon realizes that she needs to save Catherine Adams, a girl who disappeared twenty years ago. With the help of angels and loved ones, Louise will be able to do something that she would have never imagined possible.” –B.W. Ginsburg, author of Rest in Piece

Where You Can Find Reviews:

Goodreads

Amazon (E-book)

Amazon (Paperback)

Where You Can Purchase & Purchase Details

Amazon (E-Book and Paperback)

Pricing:

  • E-book: $4.99
  • Paperback: $14.99

Where you can find me:

Goodreads

Instagram

How can you help?

By spreading the word about my work and/or by purchasing your own copy of Rest in Piece!

THANK YOU,

B.W. Ginsburg

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Progress Update

I know a couple of you have mentioned wanting to hear about my progress in terms of both my resolutions and getting through anxiety, so I thought I would share them with you.

“The Plan”

As I mentioned before, my new plan for exercising and facing my fears on a more consistent basis was that I wouldn’t allow myself to write until I did some exercising. This plan worked for a while, but eventually I didn’t think much of the “before I write” part. What I mean by this is that, while I’ve been exercising fairly well since the new year started, I haven’t really made sure that I don’t allow myself to write until I exercise. Sometimes I do, but mostly I just make sure I exercise. So while the plan hasn’t totally worked how I expected, I have been exercising more which was the main point.

New Year’s Resolutions

-Exercise more on a consistent basis

  • I think I’ve been doing pretty well at this. I’ve been walking up and down my stairs, I bought an exercise ball that I’m trying out (it’s a little tricky at first), and I’ve been doing some new types of stretches. Special thanks goes to my great friend Carla for sending me some excellent YouTube videos. If you’d like to check them out, here they are:

-Practice facing my fears on a consistent basis

  • While I have gone out a few times since the new year, I’ve also struggled a little while out. Still though I’m attempting to face my fears which is important. I will admit though that I’m still shying away from some opportunities out of fear and anxiety.

-Write more and try harder to work on my new story

  • I wrote a new short story! It’s only nine pages long but I’m pretty proud of myself. The other idea I was referring to when I made the resolution about working on my new story isn’t going well though, I’m afraid. However, I don’t think this is totally my fault. As I wrote about in my post, Some Ideas, some stories just don’t work out like you may have hoped. This does not mean though that I’m giving up on this idea – I’m just putting it on the back burner at the moment.

-Think positively

  • I think this is something I really struggle with. I am trying to think positively, but as many of you who struggle with anxiety know, it’s not always very easy. I am trying though.

-Try to read more

  • I’m currently re-reading one of my favorite books, Tell No One by Harlan Coben. He’s a great author and I’m really enjoying reading!

Summary

All in all, I think I’m doing okay. I think I’ve been exercising more which is good (though I still should be doing it a lot more) and I’m very proud of my writing accomplishments so far. I’m also happy that I started and continued re-reading Tell No One since it’s a fantastic book and since reading has always been something I’ve enjoyed. While I do admit I still have a long way to go, I think I’m doing okay.

 

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2017 New Year Resolutions

Hey everyone! I thought I would share with you my new years resolutions and invite you to do the same if you’d like.

2017 Resolutions

-Exercise more on a consistent basis

-Practice facing my fears on a consistent basis

-Write more and try harder to work on my new story

-Think positively

-Try to read more

 

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Grains of Sand – October ’16

Happy first day of November, everyone! I hope you all had a good and safe Halloween and last day of October! Here are my Grains of Sand for last month! Grains of Sand is a great way to track your progress and was originally thought up by Sandy over at Sandycademy.

-Finished reading Cradle and All by James Patterson
• This was a great book and I really enjoyed reading it! You can read my review here!
-Had one thousand shares on my post on The Mighty!
• Special thanks to The Mighty for publishing this and to everyone who read it and/or shared it as well!
-Reached 1,000 posts on my blog
• Thank you SO much to everyone who reads, comments on, likes, and follows my blog! Thank you to everyone who supports me through my journey to get through anxiety. Also, I want to thank each and every one of you for writing your own blogs. Some of my posts are re-blogs and obviously those wouldn’t exist without you! Additionally, so many of you have created wonderful blogs and posts that have helped others. Thank you.
-Created my new blog, Rest in Piece for my story!
• It felt great to start this new project. If you’d like, you can check out the link to the blog here
-Published my book for the first time ever!!!
• I’ve always wanted to be a published author! This is a dream come true. To check out my book and how to purchase, click here!