When was the last time you’ve looked in the mirror and appreciate yourself? And I don’t just mean about appreciating your physical aspects. But when is the last time that you actually give yourself a pat on the back from all the things that you’ve survived and accomplished?
Self-appreciation and self-love can be difficult. And oftentimes, we’re so used to deprecating ourselves as a joke that doing the opposite just feels awkward and narcissistic. However, the way that you talk to yourself has a more significant impact than you might think.
When I started working at home, I was scared. And this is because I know I’ll be left with just myself. I’m scared that I’ll end up hating more aspects of myself. Surprisingly, the opposite happens. I just realized that working at home made me like myself more.
If you also work at home, you’ll find a lot of things to be a whole lot different than let’s say, in an office setting. While this can be a daunting thought, the way that you can approach and handle your days can affect how you view yourself drastically.
Discovering That I Can Be Responsible
I used to see myself as someone who procrastinates a lot. And of course, this eventually ends up to me blaming myself, yet also not doing anything to improve myself. When I started working at home, I have to step up in being responsible, or else I wouldn’t get any task done.
No one is monitoring me, and there is no definite schedule to follow. This makes it so much easier for my irresponsible self to just wing it and hope that future me can finish what I’ve put on hold. But I want to prove myself to other people that I can be trusted with so much time on my hands. At the same time, I want to prove to myself that I can be better.
Working at home teaches me to prioritize efficiently. I realize I don’t have to sacrifice sleep and breaks if I just manage my time responsibly For example, I wake up early in the morning because I know this is the time of the day where I’m extra lazy. I like to take some time to just sit and sip my coffee before opening my laptop and working.
I also cook my food around this time, so that it wouldn’t take the schedule of my other responsibilities throughout the day. You can even see here that it’s possible to save time in cleaning by adding an under cabinet range hood in your kitchen. Working at home allowed me to create the ideal working environment to make myself more productive and inspired. Even if that means slightly modifying my kitchen or workroom.
Boosting My Confidence
Growing up, I always have a hard time accepting myself. I can’t help but compare myself with other people, even if I know that I’m being unfair to myself. When I work at home, I stopped comparing myself with other people. In a way, it helps that I have no colleagues to compete with. I ended up competing with myself, which I think is healthier and more beneficial.
I always set myself for challenges every day. I give myself time constraints on finishing projects, while also making sure they are better than what I submitted yesterday. This also makes it possible for me to notice my strengths and weaknesses. And since I’m focusing on my strengths, I don’t have to beat myself up for my shortcomings. I like to apply my strong skills to what I do every day. This improves both the skills and tasks.
Working at home makes me realize that I can always start over, and that as I always do, I will eventually do things better. The more things I accomplished, whether it’s surprise projects or topics out of my expertise, the stronger that I appreciate myself. The more times I survived outside of my comfort zone, the easier it is for me to build my confidence.
And now, even if I meet up with old friends and colleagues, I don’t have to feel pressured in accomplishing what they have. Because at the end of the day, I know that I am already better than the past versions of myself.
Appreciating My Achievements
Lastly, working at home has allowed me to step back and appreciate everything that I’ve accomplished. Even if it’s just as small as redecorating my kitchen using my earnings, it’s nice to know that I’ve done it all from hard work. When you’re in a different setting, and you’re surrounded by other people, you tend to focus on your shortcomings.
You are constantly reminded by your daily routine that there are things you haven’t done or did wrongly. But working at home, I am working at a pace that I know will get my tasks done without sacrificing their quality. I start to like myself more and look forward to my tomorrows.
Compared to dreading the traffic and what clothes to wear, I start to celebrate work-at-home achievements. Like for example, if I have inserted a 30-minute yoga session every morning before working. I like to give myself a pat on the back and appreciate that I’m trying to get healthy.
I also keep track of my daily accomplishments and have a short talk in the morning. These habits might seem quirky, but the reassurance fuels me to enjoy working more. It’s healthy to be proud of little things. I realize that I should stop thinking of how I impact the world. But instead, of the impact I’m doing on myself, which in turn will help me be a better person for the world.