So we all want to glow up and level up in our lives. And we’ve probably watched more glow up success videos than we care to admit on youtube. I love those videos as well…but glowing up isn’t all bells and whistles.
There’s a dark side and there are ugly stages. If we can make it through those, that’s where we grow and evolve into better versions of ourselves.
Here are some of the ugly stages that I’ve noticed on my own glow up journey…
The Admitting When You’re Wrong Stage
I haven’t had a huge issue with this, but there were definitely some things that I had to admit I was wrong about. I had some behaviors that were holding me back. I really had to take a deep look in the mirror and admit to myself that I had some more inner work to do.
Glowing up isn’t just about external things (like success, money, & the perfect body). It’s also about growing mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. It’s about admitting when you haven’t been treating your loved ones the best. It’s about being able to stop, do a full assessment on your life, and admit that some of the choices you’ve made no longer serve you.
The honest truth is that if we knew it all, we’d already be living perfect lives. No one knows it all. We’re allowed to make mistakes, but we also have to learn from them and do better in the future.
The Holding Yourself Accountable Stage
This stage can be rough because our inner voices are experts at talking ourselves out of achieving our growth. Subconsciously, anything that challenges our past programming, can be seen as a threat and that’s when we start self sabotaging.
It’s really hard to hold yourself accountable, but that’s why you have to be really intentional about how you approach your goals and how you move forward. My biggest advice is to celebrate yourself every step of the way, to improve your self-talk, and to surround yourself with people who will support you as you level up.
The Meltdowns Stage
And no, this may not look like a 2 year old throwing one of their staged tantrums. But trying to reach goals, getting frustrated, and feeling like you’re a failure can lead to some not so pretty adult tantrums.
They can look anything like snot faced crying, not being able to get out of bed, and maybe unfairly taking your feelings out on someone else. Not sexy at all, but since human beings aren’t perfect…it happens.
When you’re in this stage, give yourself grace and do not beat yourself up about it. I repeat: DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP ABOUT IT. What helps in this stage is to treat yourself to a fun date. Do something exciting. That can distract you from the slump you’re in and change your energy so you can come back to your goals with a fresh perspective.
We tend to withhold celebrating yourselves until we reach the finish line, but most people actually need the opposite. We need to feel like we’re living/enjoying our lives, and not just waiting for some future moment that may not happen how we want it to.
The Lonely Stage
Unfortunately, loneliness can be a tough reality and an unwanted surprise for some people on their glow up journeys. I’m horrible at quotes, but there is a popular saying about how success can be pretty lonely.
The truth is that you may have to switch up your whole routine and your entire schedule. There may not be as much time for socializing and your friends may not want to do the things that the new you is currently doing. That’s okay. It’s a part of any new transition.
Continue to keep your goals at the forefront of your mind. You may run into friends that keep wanting to remind you about how much you’ve changed. Don’t deny that because change is good and change is what you were looking for in the first place. Know that those friends also need grace and time to adjust to the new you (although some of them may not continue the journey with you).
You need to give yourself time, patience, and understanding to adjust to the new version of yourself as well. Sometimes being alone is what you need to rediscover yourself.
Those are 4 of the ugly stages that I’ve noticed on my own glow up journey. What are some of the things you’ve noticed? Feel free to comment below if you feel like I’ve missed something.
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