The Benefits Of Insecurities
Insecurities.
They’re like the dust bunnies behind our mental and emotional dressers. One minute you think you’ve cleaned them out for good, and the next minute they’ve come back with a vengeance. They never seem to go away.
For that reason, it’s important that we understand their benefits. Insecurities can teach you a lot about yourself if you’re willing to pay attention. If you embrace them, instead of condemning them, they can actually be a catalyst for incredible life transformation and personal growth.
They can tell us about our values.
Insecurities have a harsh way of revealing what we really value. For example, if you find yourself feeling insecure about the size of your house, then that could mean you value the approval of other people or maybe even your perceived status.
Best-selling author Mark Manson encourages people to embrace values based in reality and controllable circumstances. If you value things you cannot control—popularity, for example —you will never be fulfilled because your self-worth is dependent on someone other than yourself. By allowing your insecurities to reveal potentially harmful values, you can quickly identify what values do not serve you and embrace new ones. You will inevitably spend more time developing positive values, ones that you can control like – honesty and hard work – which will ultimately strengthen and build your self-confidence.
They can give us a clear starting point.
We often relinquish our power to our insecurities by accepting them at face value. “It is what it is, there’s nothing I can do about it, right?” Wrong. Insecurities can manifest when you want something in your life to be different, but haven’t mustered up the strength to actually do anything about it. They keep you in victim mode until you decide to take action.
If you are insecure about your physical appearance, instead of beating yourself up about it – you should go to the gym or give yourself a fun new makeover. If you are insecure about your career progress, you should perform an online self-assessment to identify your growth areas and work to improve them. Building self-confidence requires action. Doing something about your insecurities is key in making them work for you.
Insecurities keep us grounded.
They remind you that you are human and imperfect. When you understand that feeling insecure is normal, you can appreciate that they are just a part of life. It’s through this lens that you can remove the power they have and empower yourself.
The real magic happens when opening up about our insecurities creates opportunities to connect with others, share advice, and grow together. The honesty and vulnerability that happens is freeing and reduces the damage that comes with hiding and masking. So let’s practice: Yeah, I’m a bit insecure about XYZ but I’m working on it. Boom. Power shift.
You’ll notice I haven’t mentioned getting rid of insecurities like many self-help sources do. That’s because I understand that it’s human nature for you to not be confident about everything. And, that’s ok!
When you spend your energy in a constant battle against your natural and human imperfections, you lose sight of the great things about yourself.
Your best efforts shouldn’t be spent on removing your insecurities, but in taking away their power and using them to your advantage. You can stop the plunge down the rabbit hole before it even begins by reframing your insecurities as tools instead of threats. They will always be a silent passenger on your journey – it’s your job to not allow them to ruin the ride.