A few additional thoughts:

This was by far…

…one of the most stress-relieving realizations I ever had:

Being good at something does not necessarily equate with feeling good at it (a.k.a. feeling good while doing it).

For example:

I had become effective at networking – but didn’t realize it because I still never felt comfortable while doing it.

I had assumed that developing my networking skills would also mean that I would eventually feel more and more at ease while connecting with people.

That last part hasn’t happened yet (and quite possibly never will), BUT, fortunately, I now realize that my feelings are quite separate from my abilities.

To which area of your life might this same little insight apply? And why is that worth asking yourself?

:: So you can fully own the level of skill you have cultivated (and celebrate it!).

:: So you can eliminate stress in certain areas that you are actually quite solid in.

:: So you can relax into (rather than resist) the feelings of weirdness and discomfort that may always linger around certain areas of your life.

These types of perspective shifts are important because they plug the holes where your energy has been unnecessarily leaking away.

As the sage Christopher Robin once told the mighty Pooh:

Promise me you’ll always remember that you’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

Onward!