I know this isn't about makeup, but I was in writing mode and here's what I came up with. I hope it gets you motivated!
Thanking Yourself
Today I went to a networking event in which one of the speakers spoke about wealth. Literal wealth (money), and wealth in your life (people). It was one of those talks about how money is important, but people matter more -- how people who are wealthy aren’t necessarily happy. She went on to remind us that it’s the small things that really count. Her example was tucking your child in bed. I don’t have children so I couldn’t really relate to that, but I caught her drift. Essentially she was telling us to stop and smell the roses. Her advice was to write down 5 things that you are grateful for everyday. That isn’t the first time I’ve heard that advice. In fact I swear it was the millionth time I’ve heard that. Nonetheless, I guess the millionth time is a charm because it motivated me to come home and do as she suggested.
I opened up a new journal (the cover has a picture of a girl eating ice cream with her dog beside her. Right below it, it says “share the love”. So fitting) and off I went. I had so many things to be grateful for and making that first list literally took me thirty seconds:
1. Grateful that my friend invited me to attend the event
2. Grateful that I won one of the door prizes at the event (yay!)
3. Grateful that my parents are healthy
4. Grateful to have such a wonderful boyfriend
5. Grateful that today’s high was 12 degrees Celsius ( gotta take what you can get in Edmonton!)
The list of things that I am grateful for could have gone on and on and on. It was so easy and made me feel fantastic. It’s a good thing because that’s exactly what the experts say that it’s supposed to do – shed a silver lining when there is a cloud. I got to thinking and wondered what it would be like if we applied this concept to other aspects of our lives.
I opened up my journal again and titled the next page “why I am awesome today”. I tried to think of five things that I thought were really great about me. To my surprise, it was so DIFFICULT! You see, I am a solid person with a sound background so I was absolutely baffled when all I could think of was “I had on a great lipstick today....and cute hair”. How come I didn’t know why I am awesome?? Not only that, but the harder I tried, the more I thought about what I did wrong today:
1. FAIL: Should have gotten through every person on that e-mail list at work
2. FAIL: Should have went to the gym
3. FAIL: Should have been more confrontational with that one person
For the sake of my own sanity, I couldn’t let that list go on. I was in a panic and just sat there, thinking. Then it hit me. How many times have we had conversations with somebody where they were being negative about themselves? Ex. I look like crap today, I didn’t get any work done, I’m not even making x salary....
Here we are, trying to count the things that we are thankful for, but then we forget to thank ourselves! Instead, we are pushing, and pushing, and pushing ourselves without acknowledging how far we have come. “I wish I were ____ . I am too _____. I am not _____enough”. Like being grateful for the small things in life, we should be thanking ourselves for the little victories that we have with ourselves... instead of waiting until we become superman/superwoman. Perhaps if we gave ourselves the well deserved credit for how great we really are, then we could make peace with ourselves and all the external factors that can play into our lives. We would see that silver lining a little more clearly and take on life’s challenges with more confidence. So I am going to give it a try. Things to thank myself for:
1. I once did a triathlon
2. I had the guts to say “I love you” first
3. I helped an old woman get up after she fell
4. I helped a girl carry a trolley back to her store after it fell apart in the middle of the mall
5. I work to give kids the opportunity to learn how they can fulfill their dreams
Picture from MAKEUP FOREVER
