Taking Yourself Too Seriously? – Suggestions for Reclaiming Your Perspective
“We can change our circumstances by a mere change of our attitude.” – William James, 19th Century American psychologist and philosopher
I’ve noticed I often take myself, my work, and my life way too seriously. I blow events out of proportion, demand perfection, and generally behave as if my needs are at the center of everything.
I agonize over small decisions, worry about personal interactions, wrestle with each word of a simple e-mail, and wake up at night with my heart pounding in anticipation of tomorrow’s presentation or with angst about what happened today. Was I good enough? How can I get this right for a change? Why did I say THAT?! The minutest detail is not too small to escape scrutiny when I’m in this frame of mind – when life becomes very, very serious.
When this happens I lose my self, my center, and my perspective. I step out of the precious present moment and into anxiety about the future or the past. I forget that there’s nothing I can control except right now, right here, this moment and my...