Firemen story or how to appreciate yourself

Appreciate yourself. Ever wondered why self-esteem and self-worth, including spending quality time only by yourself is so good for you? Well, I’m going to tell you a story. Go grab a nice beverage and get cozy because this will be good. No need for “Once upon a time…” here. I’ll just go ahead with it. The story is about firemen(sure, you can picture them however you like, nobody’s judging).

You see, when firemen are spending time in the firehouse they learn how to act on an actual fire ground; they psych themselves up to perform their work so when the time comes, they arrive to the fire ground being more prepared to do their job better. And then, the more time the firemen spend in the firehouse, the better they are on the actual fire ground.

So, what’s this got to do with anything (especially appreciate yourself headline), you ask? Well, what we people tend to do is being constantly in the fire ground, taking out fire after fire. No firemen could do that! He’d collapse!

You can’t miss that the whole point of this story is that we all need to take time to get to know ourselves, learn about what we’ve done to get where we are, make plans for what we need to change in our lives and appreciate yourself. We do so in order to be ready when we go out to where the real action is.

“In an age of constant movement, nothing is more urgent as standing still.”

Travel journalist Pico Iyer talks about “The art of stillness” and how the empty space we create between one action and another is the more luxurious thing we have.

“Outer experiences give us amazing sights but it’s only sitting still that allows us to turn those into lasting insights.”

Take some advice from this smart sign. Would it hurt not to write that silly little thing you’re about to tweet and tell the whole world about? Would it be awful to turn your phone off for a minute and just look at your surroundings?

Be present & enjoy the moment.

How I overcame depression and anxiety

People often ask me why I don’t take pictures. Especially nowadays, it’s hard to imagine how we can live without trying to photograph everything. But I do this only because I am always so immersed in the present moment that I only realize that I could have taken a photo until the moment has already passed. And let me tell you, it’s great. I don’t feel like I wasted the opportunity, quite the opposite because I enjoyed it to the full extent.

So come on, why don’t you give it a go and let me know how it makes you feel?

What I do: This is why I often like to take some time every year to spend by myself. I love reading a good book, ask myself important questions and try to understand what my failures have been, the mistakes I’ve make and how can I learn from them.

Also, making plans for the future is always on the menu. I think about how can I become a better person and every time I do this I grow enormously. Therefore, I make better decisions in life.

This is what helps me to focus on the things that really matter to me. Besides, because I take this time to think, I get to start new projects and overall it’s how I overcame depression and anxiety. If you are curious on how I managed these things, please feel free to ask me about it.

“The moment” when you start to appreciate yourself!

Take a moment, go to your firehouse. Don’t feel guilty about not minding the things that seem urgent. “Those e-mails are not going to answer themselves”, a voice in your head will say. But hey, if you keep rushing about, it’ll be like it’s not even you who’s answering those e-mails. More like a robotic version of you. That’s what happens when, in words of Mr. Iyer, you are racing so much that you can never catch up.

When you get there, when you look around and feel the space in your life, you’ll see. There will be a moment when everything is okay and connected. You’ll start to appreciate yourself, maybe even find out that those things you used to think were so important now seem trifling. That’s the place we all need to go to once in a while.

Want to read more advices from an experienced Fail Coach? Then browse through our category “Life Coaching” and take a day off, because you’ll find plenty of interesting reading material.

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