Parent yourself
Recently, I came across this concept through a Mel Robbins’ video that someone shared with me. It might sound unusual, but it makes sense, and we all need it.
Why?
Because we all struggle.
The concept is simple, when we are kids we have our parents behind us to push ourselves and make us to all those things that we don’t want to do, but based on their criteria, knowledge and experience are good for us. For example, stop watching TV, do your homework, practice the piano, learn another language and so on.
Just imagine that one thing that when you were a kid didn’t want to do, but your parents made you do it and it is now something you are grateful for, or even a key skills that has helped you through the years, or even use on a daily basis.
In my case, it was learning english. After starting to learn at a very young age, one day I got tired and decided to quit. I didn’t like it, I didn’t enjoy it and was not learning. It was a boring class that I had to deal with after my favourite teacher decided to leave.
Despite all that, my dad kept making the emphasis on the importance of me learning a second the language and the opportunities it could give me in the future. Obviously I said yes but still didn’t take action.
Years passed, I was on and off from different courses, learning but not making significant progress. However, one way or another english was always with with me through music and reading.
I don’t remember exactly what was the trigger, but I know that one day I just decided to take of it. I knew I understood, I could read everything, in fact everything all my reading was in english, yet speaking was a different story. That’s when I decided to focus on it and find a place that would allow me to practice.
That skill that, at a very young age my dad pushed me to follow, that at times didn’t like but that he always insisted to pursue, eventually not only became at great advantage at professionally, but also personally, giving me all the opportunities he envisioned and maybe even more. When the time came and others didn’t know how or had to start to learn, I was already fluent. Today I live in a english-speaking country, and over the years I have found a lot of people complementing about how well I speak it.
When we are kids is our parents job to push us and do those things that we don’t want to but that we need or have to in order to those greater things, but once we leave home, we are on our own. We are the ones skipping responsibilities and the ones keeping ourselves checked and on track, the ones having to push ourselves to do the uncomfortable, painful, boring but in almost all the cases, needed.
No one else is coming, no one will be knocking at your door to tell you to leave your phone and do the dishes, write that post, learn that skill or start that business; and it is up to you to get up and do it. That’s it.
As hard or uncomfortable it might seem at times, it is not impossible; it just takes time, discipline, commitment and responsibility. Just as one day I decided it was time for me to get better at english, the same principle applies to the rest, to everyone.
Stop waiting, start acting. You are on your own, no will be knocking at your door, no one is coming to take care of yourself.
