21/05/2026
I think a lot of people, including myself at times, can unknowingly run on external validation.
You become the person who helps.
Who listens.
Who shows up.
Who makes people feel supported.
And because people appreciate you for it, it gives you energy back. You feel useful. Needed. Valued.
But then something strange happens.
When itās time to do something for yourself, the energy suddenly drops.
You procrastinate.
You feel flat.
Even simple things for yourself can feel harder than helping everyone else.
I realised the issue wasnāt that I was lazy or unmotivated.
It was that I was still emotionally feeding myself through other peopleās recognition.
And thatās when I understood the shift that needed to happen.
The goal is not to stop receiving recognition.
The shift is learning where to receive it from.
Because external validation feels goodā¦ however it fades quickly, which is why we keep craving more of it.
But pride can.
And honestly, I think thatās because itās humanly very hard to give ourselves the same emotional recognition we seek from others.
Telling ourselves āIām worthyā can sometimes feel forced or empty at first.
But pride feels different because itās built through action.
Not ego.
Not arrogance.
Just the quiet kind of pride that comes from recognising our own worth through the things we do.
The kind where you finish the day and think:
āIām actually proud of myself for that.ā
Proud you rested when you needed to.
Proud you kept a promise to yourself.
Proud you handled something differently.
Proud you did something nobody else even saw.
Not because someone clapped for you.
But because you honoured yourself.
And thatās when everything changes.
Because pride becomes a more grounded and sustainable form of self-recognition.
That kind of pride creates energy.
And that energy ripple effects into every part of life āØāØāØ
