We know that as confident as we are, it’s easy to self-deprecate and under-appreciate ourselves.
Yes, we are fu*kin good at rewarding ourselves with face masks, a lavish dinner, a glass of wine, or a new eye shadow palette, but these can’t be the only ways we celebrate ourselves. Isn’t 2022 supposed to be ~remarkably~ different from the past!? (Please, god.) Without putting too much pressure on ourselves, damn, we feel like we can do better at celebrating our accomplishments through more intrinsic, not extrinsic rewards.
Include others
Most of the time, we need the help of other humans. Got that new job? Send a thank you note to those people you networked with that helped you attain your shiny new title. Cook a dinner for your friends or roommates and spend some quality time with them without electronics to say, “Hey thanks for dealing with my emotional rollercoaster this last month.” When you include others in your pat-on-the-back moment, it becomes an opportunity to nurture and grow your relationships. Your accomplishment becomes a journey, not an end point, and celebrating them becomes a way to enjoy life, not rush through it.
Not-so-humbly-brag
Yes yes, being humble is cooler than being narcissistic, but light that fire under you baby because you’re awesome and you’re allowed to be proud of yourself. Being proud IS NOT being an asshole. Being proud IS showing your confidence by telling your friends or coworkers that you just got sh*t done. Your own brag actually has the potential to be contagious. Cultivate a space of unfiltered POW energy and authenticity. Grandiosity can be fun. Again, ‘tis the season of the God Complex.
Real self-care
No, this does not necessarily mean a haul for bubble bath and exfoliants, although we can’t say that’s not awesome and fun. But in the grand scheme of things, those are kind of Band-Aids. Remember those things you like to do that fuel you? Is it a night trying out a new bread recipe? Is it a long walk on the beach by yourself? Or maybe it’s going to that art exhibit that’s been on your list. It can be as simple as enjoying a smoothie uninterrupted, or as major as getting into a zone and slaying your passion project. To celebrate an accomplishment is to take the time to fill your cup back up. Getting to success can be draining. True self-care helps us reflect, reenergize, and kick ass.
Zen moment: When we don’t take the time to remind ourselves that we rock, accomplishments become the peak of a mountain or the turning of a plateau. When we celebrate ourselves along the way, we nourish our journey and discovery rather than just signify it.
