It is wonderful to have a support system in place. Whether it's friends, family, friends who are as close as (or closer than) family, or even friends online (like here on SG), there is nothing better than having people who have your back, will defend you, will call you out on your bullshit (this is also important), and will cheer you on when you need it (hopefully, you do the same for them).
But don't forget, you need to be your own cheerleader also, and that is just as important.
We tend to be more critical of ourselves than others are. It's human nature. And while there's nothing wrong with having your own standard that you want to live up to, there's also nothing wrong with cutting yourself a little bit of slack as well. Again, we're only human. There's a reason that a shitload of money is made on books, self-help seminars, audiotapes, and conferences where someone will tell you that "All you need is the power of positive thinking!", and that's because people seem to think there's some big secret to doing all of that. I'm here to tell you that there isn't (and I won't charge you a dime for it).
Just repeat after me: I can do the thing (put in whatever the thing is that you can do).
Now, this doesn't replace actually working hard on whatever it is. And, this doesn't apply to what should be common sense things. If you have cancer, saying you can beat it without getting medicine or any kind of treatment at all isn't being a cheerleader, it's being ridiculous. You need to work at whatever it is you want (for you religious types, don't know if you agree with this or not, but whenever somebody tells me that they aren't going to do anything besides pray for whatever it is they want, I remind them that "God helps those who help themselves").
You have to believe that you can do the thing. For example, do you love baking, have people nearly experienced an orgasm from your food, have you been doing it for a while and dreaming of doing it for a living? You can do it, you have all of the outside support you need! You now have to believe inside that you can do it. Even when things get tough, you have to be able to look in the mirror and say to yourself, "We can do it.", and what's more, you have to believe it. That part can be tricky, but repetition makes it easier.
This doesn't mean that you can't have bad days, or experience moments of self-doubt. There's nothing wrong with that. But, once that's over, you need to get back up on that horse, as it were, and believe in yourself again. There's a saying: Only after you have done something for 10000 hours do you begin to master it. And that's true. But if you put in all that time and you don't actually believe in yourself, then that's just wasted time in your life. And as I've mentioned before, time is the most precious gift of all since once you've spent it you can never get it back.
So heading into this weekend, just remember and repeat after me: I got this, I can do it, I'm not going to give up. It may take some time to get used to doing that (especially if you are a pessimist), but I have faith that you can do it. :)
