Is this it? Expectations and Self-esteem

Tough outside, sensitive inside.

People often compliment me on my confidence, composure, and bravery for moving to another country (thank you, by the way). Inside me, however, there is a raging storm of doubt. How many times a day do any of the following enter your head?

"I need to lose weight."
"I suck at relationships."
"I'm never going to pass this course."
"I'll never be rich enough to afford that."
"I'll never pay off my debt."

Margaret Cho, American comedian, once had a brilliant thought and shared it in a monologue:

"I thought about all the times, every day, where I said to myself, 'I'm fat. I need to lose weight. I'm ugly. No one likes me.' And then I calculated in my head the number of minutes I wasted, every day, questioning myself. How many minutes every hour? Every day? Ever week? And I thought, 'What if this is it? What if this is just the way I am? How much time would I save?' 

"Turns out I could save 90 minutes per week. I could take a pottery class!"

What if we all did the same thing? Accepted that that tight-ass shirt will never sit right over one's potbelly? Accepted that we haven't yet met the right person to fit with one's personality, whatever it may be? Accepted that that boring course will never be fascinating? Accepted that some high-paying jobs don't always fit one's dreams? Accepted that we have a lot of debt and too many credit cards?

See you in pottery class.