Peanut Butter and Self-Esteem

My watchband broke. I haven’t been wearing a watch, and I can’t remember the last time this was the case. Now that I’m habitually looking at a bare wrist I realize how often I look at the time, especially if my schedule is running tight. It is as though I believe that knowing the time is related to how fast I will get somewhere, and of course, it is not at all related. The only thing I can do is start out with enough time to get where I’m going. If there is an accident on the road, or some other unforeseen circumstance, knowing the time does not help. The lack of a watch has not been an obstacle.

Sometimes it is challenging for us to identify and accept the real obstacles in our way. One of the stories in the book The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman, comes to mind. He was working on a construction site, and had lunch with the other men working there every day. One man complained bitterly and loudly about his peanut butter sandwich. He had one everyday and said he hated peanut butter. Finally someone asked him why he didn’t ask his wife to pack him another kind of sandwich. His reply was that he lived alone and packed his own lunch.

What are your obstacles? Is it a situation, a person, fear, perception, pessimism, low self-esteem, perfectionism? If we focus on the negative, on the obstacles, we get stuck. If we turn our focus to what we want and the benefits, we can overcome our obstacles.

How does that work? If we focus obstacles it’s like having a partner whose job it is to prevent you from getting anywhere and put you down. If you refocus onto your goals and benefits, you’ve got yourself a partner whose job it is open doors for you and support your efforts.

Overcoming obstacles and turning your focus to your goals raises your self-esteem, and raising your self-esteem enables you to overcome obstacles and to focus on your goals. This cycle is one you might consider getting started! The elements of self-esteem: self-responsibility, living purposefully, and personal integrity, all serve to help us overcome obstacles. If you are responsible for yourself, you feel empowered and do what you need to do. If you live purposefully, your vision shapes your actions, and if you have personal integrity you hold yourself to the highest possibility.

If you don’t want peanut butter sandwiches, stop making them.
As for me, I love a good peanut butter sandwich and I miss my watch. I am going to get the band repaired.