This week has gone by so very fast! Last Monday’s topic, Be a Friend to Yourself was vital to how well it went for me. I am learning a new job, in a new (more creative) environment, with new challenges. Sometimes learning can make us really tired! So, as a friend to myself I took a time-out to “rest my brain” everyday when I got home from work. Normally I would have stayed up late to post on the site or visit the blogs I love to read. But I rested instead.

This week’s topic is important to me, it’s something I actually would like to become a habit.

Give Yourself Credit.

Yep, how often to we ever recognize our own accomplishments and say to ourselves “You’re pretty awesome, you know!” Call it credit, bonus points or kudos or how ever you like to think about it, giving yourself credit for a job well done is important step to building self confidence. Often when I’m feeling less than confident, I think back to when I was in college. When everything I encountered was new, strange and different. When the challenges seemed so huge, I couldn’t imagine how I would overcome. But since failure was not an option, I pushed through it and began to realize I was a very capable person and that hard work does reap rewards. With hard work, it only takes time for progress to take shape. I give myself credit for working hard and overcoming the challenges I faced in college, without which I would not be the independent person I am today.

Now, it doesn’t have to be as serious as all that. If I’m having a hard time giving myself credit, I’ll start giving myself points for everything: Got up early=500 points! Answered the phone at work without dropping it or stuttering=1000 points! Wore a white blouse without a spilling a drop of coffee on it=1500 points! Successfully tricked the dog into coming upstairs for his bath=2000 points! You get the gist. If anything, the bonus points I give myself cheer me up on a less than productive day and keep the positive thoughts flowing. So, this week I will be letting the bonus points fly as I get deeper into the new challenges of the “day job”. Fingers crossed, it’s going to be a great week!

[artwork © Aimee Elizabeth McEwen]