In my childhood I remember being told the “fairy tale” statement of “you can achieve anything you set your mind to” by adults in my life. This statement set in my developing brain, as a child, a false reality that I would be able to conquer all I wanted in my life if I set my mind to do so. That statement has led me to heartache and emotional mental abuse of my inner being. If I failed an exam, did not get chosen for a team, did not get the job position I would often tell myself that I must not have “set my mind to”, the goals I was exploring, or that I was “not good enough” to achieve the goals.
I have thought about how this statement has been emotionally and mentally draining after my multitudes of experience and full brain development, once I achieved the age over 30 years old. I feel there needs to be additional follow-up statements in order to balance the challenge to oneself and the empathy of the journey. The statement I feel would be better accepted mentally is “you can achieve anything you put your mind to, if you are kind to yourself on your journey and let go of the perceptions of perfection“, or something within the realm of allowing positive mental health. I feel the addition of words to this motivational statement may allow a young child or teenager, whose brain is still in development, the understanding that the outcome of what you achieve does not have to be the same as the outcome of others or what you envisioned.
The achievement can be as simple as the effort of planning, supporting, or trying, or possibly building awareness or resilience toward the goals. I have empathy for the generations of children and teenagers who are growing up in the social media world. He/she is consistently bombarded by online successful entrepreneurs and influencers, not knowing if being successful on social media the individual’s goal, the experience or support received to become internet famous. I believe the statement combined with the challenges of social media entrepreneurs and influencers internet appearances has increased the level of anxiety and depression in society. Individuals may experience mental health challenges about who he/she maybe and what is possible to achieve.
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