“Praising Yourself a Little”


The following is a quote from a 12-step reading I did today (January 16, 2019).  It is from Today’s Gift: Daily Meditations for Families.

“When you do something you are proud of, dwell on it a little, praise yourself for it.
—Mildred Newman

Each one of us is very good at something. Maybe it’s baseball or tennis where we display talent. Maybe we’re good in math or at giving reports. A few people are talented at being good listeners or helpful friends. To recognize our own talents we may need help from others. It’s always so much easier to see our faults, or the ways we don’t meet our own expectations.

But the fact is we are all skilled in many areas of our lives. To accept praise–better yet, to quietly give it to ourselves–is a sign of healthy growth.

What things have I done well lately?”

After reading this, I said to myself, “I haven’t done anything well lately.”

But then I thought to myself, wait a minute!  I just solved a Canvas problem.  Yes, I created the problem.  Honesty compels me to admit that.  But that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t give myself a little credit for solving the problem.  And I learned something, too.  At the very least, I’ve learned how not to create one problem.

Of course, bragging too much on myself isn’t good.  But then, neither is ragging on myself.  Quietly giving myself praise for a job well done—or even for a job adequately done—might be an energizing activity.

I think I’ll try it.  “You wrote and posted some random thoughts today.  Well done!”

There!  See?  That wasn’t so bad, now, was it?!

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