When Inspiration Doesn't Feel Real But Can Lead to Positive Self-Talk

Good day, readers! It’s amusing how today I found myself chuckling about inspirational blogs, websites, and apps. I can’t help but laugh as I recall how much I used to detest them. Now, here I am, writing about courage and challenging you to find hope. It’s truly quite humorous to me!

I used to detest all that stuff! There was an app around that shared daily gratitude. I opened it up and saw all these smiling faces and all this joy, and I thought, “So, no. Just no. I’m not that grateful today, and all this flowery, happy joy is repulsive.” Haha. I would even say overly happy people sickened me. How could they be so cheerful every day? I saw it as them being fake or annoying.

I used to get tired of websites that only focused on the positive and upbeat aspects of life. Websites like “Be happy 🙂. There is always something good in every day.” While these websites can be uplifting, they don’t always address the deeper emotions and struggles that people face. While happy-go-lucky websites can be helpful, they don’t always provide a comprehensive understanding of human experiences. If you’re looking for daily self-affirmations and positive messages, this blog might not be for you. However, I will include those things alongside addressing the more challenging aspects of life.

That being said, I absolutely believe in being hopeful and I do believe in you.  I do believe we can live the best versions of ourselves and leave the feelings of helplessness behind.  Yet, I have found that we sometimes need someone to come out and say that life is crap; that life sucks.  That might be what we need rather than another meme that simply tells us how we should feel.  Or an app that says it will make you happier in just ten days if you write down all you are grateful for each day.  There are times for those.  Again, I love those apps now, but to jump into those apps when I could not relate to all that joy, was not helpful – it missed a step in me.  I had to first sit with the hurt and look inward in order to more fully embrace the inspirational self-talk and living each day with gratitude.

Am I mistaken? I genuinely don’t believe so. If you can find joy in memes about life being a bed of roses and that helps you get through your day, then I commend you. I genuinely think that’s fantastic! However, for some, it’s not that straightforward. For some, there’s no sun in the forecast of life that’s even remotely possible. For some, expressing gratitude each day feels almost impossible. And that’s perfectly okay! That’s where they are at. There’s nothing wrong with feeling that way! It just takes a different process to reach the point where being grateful and cheerful becomes a reality.

I can assure you that my blog won’t solely focus on the gloomy aspects of life, but it will acknowledge those realities because they are genuine. Sugarcoating them with uplifting quotes doesn’t resonate and can be ineffective in promoting healing. While gratitude can be beneficial, as evidenced by numerous studies that demonstrate its positive impact on mood, I don’t oppose it. I believe these tools are valuable practices. However, they need to hold significance for the individual using them. If they don’t genuinely resonate, the effort invested in the exercise diminishes as the person may experience a setback when they recall the hardships in life and realize, “See, life isn’t something I’m grateful for. This approach doesn’t work. Why don’t I feel better?” Ultimately, progress comes from confronting and addressing the challenges we face, rather than suppressing them and attempting to numb the pain with superficial measures.

Perhaps I’m repeating myself a bit. I want to assure you that you can one day find meaning in inspirational blogs, memes, and apps. One day, it can feel real to post a beautiful self-love quote and mean it. Wouldn’t that feel amazing? To say, “Wow, I really do feel grateful. I really do feel happy.”

You can and you will!!!!!

My promise is to always be genuine and a source of joy to help you discover something small in each and every day that gradually awakens your spirit to realize, “I can do this. I can find my own joy.” I want blogs and other means to appear in your life and make you feel like, “Yes, that resonates with me.”

I want you to read the attached picture and believe it! Read the words. Which ones do you believe? Are you ready to share this and mean it? If not now, you will one day 🙂

I am enough.

I am worthy of love and respect.

I am loved.

I am unique.

I accept myself.

I am kind and strong.

I believe.

I am brave.

I am resilient.

I forgive myself.

I love myself for who I am, including my imperfections.

I trust myself.

I am capable.