Are You Ever Satisfied With Yourself?

Yes, absolutely! I am not sure if I am as good as I can be, but I am
satisfied with what I have achieved and who and what I stand for.

Why are you never satisfied with yourself, Bear?

I'm not either.

Not often.

Not lately, no.

I think that in the olden days people were satisfied with themselves at the end of the day because they put in a hard day's work involving mostly physical labor and got the job done. The only other people they came into contact with were others just like them in their own towns and on farms.
Nowadays, a lot of people just sit behind a computer, or suffer boring jobs that offer no signs of completion at the end of the work day. That, added to the television constantly showing you the Oprah/Dr.Phil way to improve your life, and the media bombarding you with stories of the rich and famous it's no wonder that we lay awake sometimes wondering how we can improve ourselves.

What a thoughtful theme for a thread. C'mon, BPB - admit it was squinney's idea!

But no, I'm almost never satisfied with myself. But, I think that for an individual to feel that way in his life without being complacent is quite an accomplishment in this "he who dies with the most stuff, wins" culture.

I always feel I have to prove to other people that I know stuff.

As a tradie, I'm often dressed in grubby clothing, but I also have a bachelor of education. I tried teaching for three years, but the money is in construction.

The way that people typecaste me through their own beliefs of intelligence/occupation levels amuses me no end.

I relish the opportunity to hold debates on any topic they choose.

Dadpad, just let them hang themselves with their own assumptions. :wink:

I confess to having occasional moments of insufferable smugness.

I'm a woman of many personal flaws with major gaps in my general information, but two or three times a day I manage to do something well, even if that "something" is managing to say nothing at all.

I'm somewhere between the beasts and the angels.

I learned long ago to be happy within myself. Am I perfect? Absolutely not. The problem with "perfect" is that is is unattainable. The person who seeks perfection, is in a state of constant frustration, because the goal, no matter how small, is never reached.

I will be happy to muddle along attempting to do the best that I can, knowing sometimes that I am not doing my best.

The older (& wiser, I hope!) I get, the less it all seems to be about "me". This is quite liberating.

That's the best post yet, msolga! Excellent! Less and less about 'me'...I love it.

Why, thank you, snood!

that's why I specicifically said it wasn't a self satisfied me kind of thing....
I judge myself more harshly than anyone and can't seem to get over it.... sometimes I think it's a good thing because it drives me but on the other hand I spend a great deal of time frustrated with my progress...and I was wondering if othere were like that.

I too liked msolgas post. For me, I think I had to reach a point where I "got over myself", stopped trying to be better than everyone else, and learned to be content with a job well done. I, too hold myself to pretty high standards, and like to push myself, but I don't let it drive me nuts.

I used to be my own worst critic (probably still am). I had the habit of verbalizing negative self talk (jeesus, J - you are such a <there was a long list to choose from>). I finally stopped when someone told me they were tired of hearing how bad I was. I don't think I even realized I was doing it, certainly not out loud.

Once I realized it, I was able to hear myself say such things and eventually catch myself in mid-thought and turn it off. I was able to cut myself some slack and focus more on what I was doing right, rather than only seeing the negative. It took some time and the self critic still exists, but I can usually feel satisfied with who I am.

Do you talk yourself down, BPB?

I'm a right cruel bitch to myself the majority of the time. But I've been putting a lot of work into changing that.

Nowadays I have many more moments where all is just as it should be - even if there are huge glaring 'problems' all around.

It helps when I think of myself as someone else. Someone sweet who I know, who I care about.

The cruel bitch has been fortified with much fat and nourishment over the years though. Takes a while to starve her down to life size.

I run the gamut from high self loathing to that nirvana like state where I cease to think of myself at all.

I think that is why I love gardening. Sometimes you just lose all sense of self and just are ONE with the garden. The interior monologue is still. It almost never happens but when it does, it is blissful

I'm usually my harshest critic, but last fall I worked overtime building some new cold frames. In deep November I was out side, in the dark, hammering away by lamp and moon light. This morning I just slogged though a field of deep snow to check on the seeds I planted a couple of weeks back and noticed they're starting to pop. The frames are holding the proper temperature despite the weather so I have lush lettuce, spinach, cabbage and onions on their way- I feel very self-satisfied.