Appreciating Your Life
Acknowledging and appreciating yourself and what you have achieved in life is a must, and much more so when times are difficult. This is something that we rarely take the time to do. All the focus is extended out into the future focusing on what we have yet to do, or, our attention is on what we have not managed to achieve. There is no time put aside to focus on what we have achieved and little appreciation given for our efforts. It is easier to remember our failures over our successes and much easier to stay with negativity than to think positively. Patting ourselves on the back is seen as self-praise and I remember while growing up being told that ‘self-praise is no praise.’
Well, I want you to take the time right now to acknowledge and appreciate yourself for everything that you have accomplished throughout the last year, and in your life. Give yourself permission to blow your own trumpet and don’t wait for anyone to praise you.
Write down all those things that you have managed to do whether the end result was to your liking or not. The fact that you tried to do something at all is a positive step. Acknowledging your mistakes can also have it pluses, though we often don’t have trouble recalling those. Consider this, if you only remember the mistakes and failures, you won’t be as ready to take risks that will lead to your successes. Making mistakes and getting things wrong is great ground for improvement and learning. We do not learn from getting things right.
By taking the time to stop and appreciate the person that you are and what you have achieved, can boost your confidence and enhance everything about you. Self-acknowledgment and appreciation are what give you the insights and awareness to move forward toward higher goals and accomplishments. It can offer insight to the future and helps you to clarify where you want to go in life.Remembering to acknowledge the little things that we have achieved in our day is just as important as acknowledging the bigger things. Making someone happy, spending quality time with your partner or children, doing someone a good turn or getting to work on time deserves as much acknowledgment and appreciation as does getting that promotion, winning that competition or receiving that award. It’s these little things that appear too minor to be acknowledged that make us feel whole, happy and contented.
Surround yourself with mementos of your successes to keep your reminded of your achievements and at the end of each day pat yourself on the shoulder and say ‘well done for doing the best that you could throughout the day.’