You are under construction. I want you to write that somewhere for yourself. Whether it is on a piece of paper in your house or on social media. Post it on twitter, instagram, facebook, put it in your bio, wherever, but I want you to really let that thought resonate with you. If you are working towards getting better no matter how fast, no matter how slow, no matter which path you took to get there then you are under construction.
The reason it is so important for you to solidify this fact in your head is because people will try to cut you down when they see you trying to better yourself. If you start to work on being better then people who do not work on bettering themselves will notice and they will take it as a reflection of all that they are not doing and they will try to tear you down to make them feel better about themselves for staying in the same place as a result. Do not let people do this to you. If you start running, they will tear you down for your time. If you quit smoking, they will tear you down by telling you how easy it is for you to slip up and that there is no point fooling yourself into thinking that you can really change. These people are toxic, but sadly they are very very real.
When you are dealing with people who want to cut you down it is important to remember that you might be slow, but that is because you just started, and you will get better every time. You have got to keep in mind that you might slip up and have another smoke at some point, but that does not mean that you will never quit for good. Sometimes relapse is a part of recovery. Success does not always look like a straight line. There will be ups and downs a long the way and sometimes it might even feel like you are going backwards, but as long as you don't let it get you down and you do not give up then you will continue to be under construction and working towards a better you. The best version of yourself is processing, but it just takes time. So do not be discouraged by the fact that you are not perfect just because you started putting your life back together. In fact, you will never be perfect.
So instead of focusing on the perfection side of things, focus on the progress you make. If you start the week running a thirteen-minute mile, celebrate when you can trim just ten seconds off of that time. That's ten seconds closer to a better version of yourself. That's progress, and that is worth dwelling on. Don't forget: You are under construction. The progress you make and will continue to make is all that really matters.
It all starts with you.
