Hope you have launched into this fresh New Year with lots of good vibes. The first ten days of 2016 has brought lots of fun – our New Year’s Day party, my friend Joe’s Annual 12th Night Party, visiting some local vineyards for wine tasting, (that’s a pic of some of our wine tasting crew), and more. But it’s also brought sadness, with two funerals, and friends struggling with illness and challenges. For many, this time of year is difficult.
We often start off the year with high expectations that life will be different this time. We’ve got big goals, and then we begin to beat ourselves up when they don’t come to fruition as quickly as we’d like, or maybe we fall off the wagon completely.
In the past I’ve had a fair amount of negative self talk happening in my own head. If I taught a solid class or workshop, on the drive home I’d replay all the mistakes I made, or things I forgot to mention.
When I have a productive day, rather than celebrating what I checked off the list, that one item not done glares back at me.
Granted I’m getting MUCH better at celebrating my successes, but now and then it’s easy to slip into that place of lack or “I could have done better” mode of thinking. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a place for debriefing and evaluating how we could improve our performance or strengthen our skills. But rather than remain on the constant treadmill of self-improvement, sometimes it’s important to stop and recognize how far you’ve come or how well you’ve done. When I need this kind of attitude adjustment, I now pull out my favorite file.
🙂
This is my good news file. I have a physical folder in my desk drawer. It’s the first folder, because where exactly do you put 🙂 in the alphabet? I also have a companion file on my computer. Labeled :), of course. Emails, cards, screen shots of particularly complimentary FB comments or posts all go into these folders.
When I’m stuck or feel like I’m not doing enough,, or for that matter, simply feeling ‘not enough’, I peruse my 🙂 folder for an instant lift.
I’m reminded of why I do what I do, that there’s plenty to be proud and satisfied about. I’m left with a renewed energy and sense of purpose, and yes, a 🙂 on my face.