Have you ever noticed how quick we are to congratulate a friend when great things happen? Or how easy it is to celebrate when our kids or a close friend make even a small step toward one of their goals? But when was the last time we stopped to celebrate our own win?
I don’t know about you, but I grew up with more of the mentality of work hard, push hard, and keep going no matter how you feel about it. And stopping to congratulate yourself is just selfish. Besides, if you’re too nice to yourself, you’ll lose all your motivation to work hard and you’ll end up lazy.
Well, as you can imagine, those thought patterns just don’t make for a happy limbic system. When we are constantly pushing for the next goal without taking time to slow down and relax, our limbic system (the body’s alert system) shifts into stress mode and starts pumping out cortisol and adreneline. When we live a lifetime like this, it adds up to a body and mind that are way too stressed out and we’ll eventually develop symptoms that effect our mental, emotional, and physical health.
So this week, take a few minutes each day to recognize something you did that you can celebrate. It can be something or small, it doesn’t matter. Tell yourself “Good job!” and think of a way to reward yourself. Maybe it’s a cup of hot chocolate by the fire, or a half hour with a good book. It may not feel natural at first, but after a while, you’ll really enjoy it.
One of my favorite ways to congratulate and encourage myself is to think an energetic “Yay me!” and imagine confetti falling. So my daughter designed me a couple of “Yay me!” mugs – just in time for hot tea in the cooler mornings. I love them!
Several of you had said that if I ever created a “Yay me!” mug, you’d want one too, so I wanted to provide a link of where to purchase them. I worked with a great woman named Nora at Willow Gift on Etsy who agreed to keep the artwork on file. You can follow the links to order. Let her know that you’d like to order the “Lori Clemmons’ “Yay me!” design”. I don’t make any money from these mugs; I’m just passing on the links.
You can order them here. These are the 15 ounce mugs. Don’t forget to make a note in the message section that you are wanting the Yay me! personalization.
If you order one, I’d love to see a picture!
