It’s hard for some of us to feel proud of simple things. We think, “This is just me living my life, nothing special.” But often what seems ordinary to you would be daunting and impressive to others.

Let’s stop and celebrate our everyday accomplishments.

Take a moment to remind yourself of the compliments you’ve received and dismissed. How do other people see what you do? They think it’s pretty cool, right?

What do you deserve to feel proud of? I’m not talking about glory and ego trips, but that warm feeling of joy that fills your chest and makes you smile.

I know you’re not doing these activities for the accolades. And surely everyone with a conscience fulfills her responsibilities. But I’m calling upon you to take a bow both because you deserve it AND because the world reacts positively to enthusiasm. We like to hear about wins and it gives other people permission and a nudge to share their own success.

Maybe someone listening thinks, “I’ve been wanting to do that but I didn’t know how” and will ask for advice.

This also requires us to listen with love and without chips on our shoulders. When you hear an acquaintance share an accomplishment does the voice in your head is say, “Who does she think she is bragging about such and such”? If so, it’s time to take a deep breath and surrender that resistance. You don’t have to be impressed with someone’s accomplishment. Just acknowledge it’s meaningful to that person and see if it inspires you to take a step.

I remember a moment many years ago when I went to the concert of a semi-famous singer/songwriter. A friend at work thought he was fantastic. I was underwhelmed. I looked around at all the swooners and thought “If he can write songs then I certainly can.”  That decision was a major turning point in my life.

So maybe the other question to ask yourself is what have I rejected because it’s too hard? What experiences have you been overvaluing? What comes after, “I could never_____?”

What if you could? Take another moment to imagine what’s possible if your perceived limitations weren’t there. What might you try for?

So 1) proudly value what you’ve accomplished, and 2) question the level of difficulty you’ve applied to a desired but rejected goal. I’ll start:

1) I got my newsletter written. Yay!
2) Maybe it’s not impossible to create a thriving Facebook group

What are yours?

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