What Are You Proud Of?

Have you noticed, like me, how easy it is to get so caught up in what you need to do next, all of the things you either want to accomplish or simply need to get done, that you forget to pat yourself on the back for a job well done?

It’s important to congratulate ourselves. Even while sitting here at the computer, writing, I’ll stop myself for a moment. “Hey, Laura, that was an awesome paragraph!” I stop typing and reach my right hand to the back of my left shoulder, giving myself a good ol’ pat on the back.

It’s silly to wait and receive our accolades from somebody else – clients, family members, friends. They have enough problems of their own and are focusing on what they need to accomplish and get done. We need to be our own biggest cheerleaders.

While writing this post, I went to the kitchen to check on dinner. Sometimes George cooks; sometimes I do. Tonight, I offered to make dinner. I browned sliced chicken breasts and baked them in the oven with a simple sauce (built-in gravy) using a can of cream of celery soup with milk and seasonings. Boiled russet potatoes with the skins on to make mashed potatoes. Opened a couple cans of green beans, and baked a cut acorn squash brushed with butter, a sprinkling of brown sugar, and freshly ground four pepper blend and pink Himalayan sea salt. It was a relatively simple meal.

George said, “I am so grateful for your cooking. I’ve eaten at some places lately that my stomach just did not want to tolerate. I don’t have a cast iron stomach like I used to, and my body is so used to your good cooking, it doesn’t like greasy, fast-food type meals anymore.”

I am proud of that!

In previous homes, I developed a knack for sponge-painting the walls in different rooms for a “faux” look. Some walls turned out better than others, but I would often take the time to look at the walls in different lights, at different times of the day, and congratulate myself for making a beautiful piece of artwork from a simple wall.

Here’s another thing I’m very proud of.

When I moved to Oregon in 1990, I found work as a Claims Adjuster at SAIF Corporation, and was in their holiday choir three years in a row, singing and playing the piano. In high school, I was in a trio called The Cadets, and we won the talent portion of the local Snow Queen contest two years in a row. The first year, when I was 16, we sang the Andrew Sisters’ Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.

I re-wrote the Boogie Woogie lyrics: Santa’s Comin’ to Willamette Valley and formed a trio for the SAIF Corporation Holiday Choir. To this day, I feel very proud of this accomplishment. You can see the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHFod5snl3M&feature=youtu.be

What are you most proud of? Let us know on the blog, where we can support each other in bringing our voices out in the world.

HONE Your Message is coming to Toastmasters for Speaking Professionals October 17th.

If peaceful conflict resolution is in your wheelhouse, come to the Oregon Mediation Associations’ 31st Annual Conference November 3rd & 4th in Portland, where I will be presenting HONE Your Message.

If you found this post helpful, please spread the love and pass it along to a friend!

To Your Voice, Laura