It’s early November – a couple of weeks before the holidays begin, and just a handful of weeks before the year ends.

 

If you’re anything like most women, and almost every one of my clients, you might feel like 2021 was a flop because you didn’t get enough done… or do any of it perfectly enough.

 

Sometimes we hold ourselves to impossible standards, don’t we?

 

Here’s the thing I want to remind you of when it comes to honoring yourself: You get to choose to honor yourself NOW.

 

No matter how much you’re judging yourself because you didn’t accomplish enough this year, you’re not going to feel better or get more done if you punish yourself into a fine pulp of self-loathing.

 

So, choose to honor yourself now.

 

No matter where you are right now, no matter how far from it you’ve strayed, and no matter what’s happened that’s led you in a different direction, honoring yourself is something you can always choose to do.

 

It’s always available to you.

 

Life happens. Things get complicated, demanding, and overwhelming at times. Even with all our best intentions and efforts, there will be times when we just do what we can… and it might not be up to our high standards.

 

It doesn’t mean you’ve failed or you’re a fraud.

 

It doesn’t mean you should just throw it all away, go crazy, and deep dive into self-betrayal.

 

It doesn’t mean you have to punish, berate, or even judge yourself for not doing it “perfectly” enough.

 

There will be times when not doing things perfectly, or even well, is the most self-honoring thing you could do.

 

Perfectionism and super high standards, when upheld in rigid ways, can be pretty abusive and detrimental, too.

 

As this year winds down and comes to a close, and everyone’s life gets busier, just remember you can always come back to yourself.

 

And if you forget, or if it feels too stressful, or you haven’t quite figured out how to do life in a way that doesn’t leave you anxious and exhausted…

 

… you can always come back to yourself, you can always choose to honor yourself next time, and you can always make a decision that feels better to you.

 

Because you are always deserving of your own gentleness and generosity.