Today, each of us did something well. Even very well. We can torture ourselves over small failures, while the good goes unnoticed. As if we were ashamed of it, or didn’t know how to value what happened to us. For us, for others. Saying that we’ve done something well is not bragging, it’s self-respect. And very few people suffer from that today. We can believe in Santa Claus our whole lives, but we can’t believe in ourselves for even a few minutes. Today, we’ve surely done many things well. This month, there might even be a few really bright moments worth remembering. Try to think and quickly answer which ones they were. Many of us can’t even do that after a minute, yet we can list the bad things off the top of our heads immediately.
When you start to praise yourself, you become free. You won’t be dependent on someone else’s praise. Someone who might not even be there at that praiseworthy moment. And yet, you’ll still experience those pleasant feelings. You’ll motivate yourself and simultaneously connect to an infinite source of energy. Which will be available whenever and wherever you need it. On the other hand, other people’s praise can manipulate us to achieve their own goals. However, whatever we hear about ourselves carries only the weight and meaning we assign to it. No one can anger you if you don’t allow it. And if someone else’s praise gives you pleasant feelings, you also allowed that. So allow it to yourself as well. You do many things perfectly. It’s time to acknowledge and praise yourself for that. Your self-respect will grow, and with it, you’ll strengthen other positive traits like perseverance, independence, courage, personal ambitions, and moral principles.
Yes, praise others too. It will be a necessary boost and motivation for them. But don’t praise out of pity or mercy. You’ll hurt more than help. In such cases, a friendly piece of advice is more appropriate. However painful it may be, it should be honest.
So, learn to praise yourself. It will make you freer and therefore happier. If you can’t do it during the day, create a ritual. Every evening before bed, think of what you succeeded in. Or write it down in a notebook by your bed. At the end of the month, read that list. You’ll be as proud of yourself as perhaps you’ve never been in your life. Reading so many lines in a row will seem incredible. What one person can achieve. YOU. It also doesn’t seem like much what a person eats in a day. But when you write it down on paper, suddenly it’s quite a lot. And just as it is with food, it works the same way with our actions and activities. Only when they are lined up on paper do they show us who we are. And believe me, it will feel good.