The other day I was getting ready to go for a run when it occurred to me: I’d be more comfortable in my other pair of shorts.

I also knew I would enjoy the run more if I downloaded an episode of one of my favorite podcasts. That way I could listen to it on the road.

And I should probably use the restroom before I go, I thought to myself.

That’s when Jerk Face, my evil avatar, showed up.

“You lazy slob!” says Jerk Face inside my mind. “You’re making up excuses to avoid running instead of getting out there and doing it!”

Unlike what I normally do in these cases, I paused. I took a second to assess whether Jerk Face was telling the truth.

And I decided he was full of crap.

I wasn’t generating excuses to delay the run, and even if I was, so what?

I was still going for the run, but this handful of activities was definitely going to make the run more enjoyable. What’s wrong with that?

I changed my shorts, downloaded the podcast, used the restroom, and went for my run.

No big deal, right?

I didn’t think so either, but what happened next blew me away.

Holding Ourselves Back

I ran to where I normally turn around to go home and thought, “I feel so good, I think I’ll just keep going.”

That happened four or five times.

And instead of running my usual three miles, I ran six.

Here’s what I’m learning: I often hold myself back from accomplishing my best not because I’m selfish but because I fail to believe in my value and the value of what I have to offer. 

A part of me did not believe I deserved to enjoy my run. 

In a very similar way, I often do not think what I have to offer is important enough to do what I need to do to produce my best work.

Or to put it bluntly, I often do not believe I’m valuable enough to be successful.

Can you relate?

• You wake up too late to do your writing because you didn’t think you were worth a good night’s sleep.
• You feel gross because you didn’t think you were worth a healthy snack, and you ate something you now regret.
• You make a choice you’re not proud of. Then, instead of offering yourself some grace and moving on, your mood is off all day. You kick the cat and snap at the kids.
• You don’t schedule a writing retreat because you don’t think your manuscript is worth vacation time.
• Your relationship’s a wreck because you don’t think you’re worth the cost of therapy.

Let’s stop this. Or at least let’s take one small step away from it.

One Small Step

What’s one thing you can do this week so that your behavior is in better alignment with your value?

You could:

• Choose to go to bed at 10pm every night this week
• Journal every morning
• Schedule a writing retreat
• Read a book for at least 15 minutes each day
• Cut out dessert on weekdays
• Enroll in a strength and conditioning program

Go ahead, choose what you’ll do. What’s one thing you can do this week to live up to your own worth?

Once you’ve identified your one small step, go further: Ask a friend to help you stay on track. Here’s a text you can use or adapt: “Hey! I’ve decided I’m going to journal for 15 minutes every morning this week. To stay accountable, I’ll text you each time I’ve done it. Cool?”

Will this one small step forever transform your sabotaging beliefs about yourself? No, but the more we behave in alignment with our value, with who we really are, the more we will act like the best version of ourselves. And as we live out the best version of ourselves, our beliefs will catch up with reality.

Question: What was most helpful to you in this blog post? You can leave a comment by clicking here.