Give yourself a break.
It’s important to be hard on yourself. If you don’t have high standards for yourself, you won’t be able to meet those set by others. Having self-imposed high standards force you to move yourself forward—to leave your comfort zone and take risks.
But it’s equally important to not be unrealistic with yourself.
Holding yourself to impossibly high standards will only set you up for failure. And just as self-imposed high standards are critical to your success, so is the ability to let yourself off the hook once in a while critical to your sanity.
It’s good to be hungry but sometimes you need to push back from the table, look at everything you’ve accomplished, and call it a day.
I tend to get too caught up in the things that aren’t going well. The aspects in my life that still need the most work or improvement. Too often even when something great happens, or I reach a goal of mine, I get trapped in the fog of the unaccomplished instead of feeling happy and satisfied. And I know from experience that this can drive you crazy and cut significantly into your day to day happiness.
Most of us do great things every day. We produce value for ourselves, for our families, for our friends, for our companies. And while it’s vital to always be looking for how you can produce even more value, it’s equally important to let yourself marvel and appreciate the value you already produce.
Push yourself, but not over the ledge.
Give yourself a break.