Praising Myself

Often, we shy away from praise. More often, we stop ourselves from praising ourselves. Nobody likes interviews, writing a cover letter is hard, and society states we must be modest when receiving a compliment. Grateful. Always say thank you, never fully agree with the complimenter. Those are the rules.

It's come to my attention that I never speak to people about what I am good at. 

Last year, I started an initiative called Elf Anonymous. It was a simple idea: visit with seniors who don't see family over the holidays, and provide them with a gift. I advertised, mostly through Kijiji to see if any strangers would want to join me. An overwhelming 35 people responded, and I went in search of senior homes to partner with. Tonight, I was lucky to round up 15 volunteers, to make a difference in 15 seniors' lives.

However, I never have praised myself for my "saintly contributions" as my husband would call them. In fact, yesterday, my father called me, and I mentioned "I'm working with seniors tomorrow - I volunteer with them every Christmas". But Dad, you don't know that I made that happen. I created that opportunity to volunteer.

Tonight, I'm praising myself. 

I'm congratulating myself for bringing together a group of people, for managing chaos when the staff at the senior's lodge were uninformed about the event, and for making 15 seniors happy. 

I may not do everything perfectly. Writing this tonight reminds me that I need to spend more time on the phone with my own grandmother, who inspired Elf Anonymous. However, I think too often, we forget to praise ourselves. Perhaps it's time to start.