Lighten Up!

- by Matt Leedham

I told my wife the other day that I wanted to write on the topic of not taking yourself too seriously. Her response was, “ummmm.” You may not know my wife, but I know her quite well. That little sound she made, as cute as it was, clearly told me that I had no business writing on the topic. Good point! Which is precisely why I MUST write on the topic.

You see, our angle on this entire blog and even in our live courses, is to be as open and transparent as possible to, a) encourage you to do the same in your lives, and b) so that we can learn and grow from this experience as well. It does me no good to pretend that I’m someone that I’m not (foreshadow: my next post will be on authenticity). So, this is my way of being open and honest with you…and with myself.

I’ll admit it, sometimes I take myself too seriously. Sometimes I get too wound up when I want things to go just right. Sometimes I get caught up in the image of things and how I appear to other people. Sometimes I cover up my mistakes so that I save face. Sometimes, I’m just downright grumpy and moody. It’s all so ridiculous though. It causes me more stress and anxiety trying to be perfect than to just admit my faults and chuckle about my failures. In fact, it’s quite liberating to be honest with yourself and others regarding who you are and in what ways you’re not perfect. You should try it!

Don’t take yourself too seriously when setting personal goals. Have a sense of humor. It’s okay to admit previous failures. It’s ok to let your image go. What are you so worried about? Who is “your image” for? In fact, what is “your image” anyway? It’s just you – right here, right now. There is no image. Don't let the fog of what other people think cloud your judgment or influence the direction of your life.

Live your life and enjoy the ride. Having said that, let me end on a light note with a powerful quote from a classic film:

“Life’s a garden. Dig it.” - Joe Dirt

Leave us silly thoughts or stories in the comment section below!