I've always been tempted by the NaBloPoMo trend but the idea of coming up with something to write about every single day has always felt insanely overwhelming. Sarah though clued me in to the Positively Present Gratitude Challenge over on Instagram that seemed like a perfect opportunity to both inspire me to post with more frequency AND focus on those things that I am grateful and appreciative of. I'm going to give it a shot. If I bomb, then I'll revise this intro to be something about self-compassion and reasonable expectations. Act surprised!
Words
We recently switched insurance providers and with that, had to re-establish with a new doctor. We're not really "go to the doctor" people, so there was expectedly some delayed maintenance issues. I was messaging with him about my progress on specifically my weight/diet and he responded with, "Great job! I'm really proud of you!"
Whoah. I am 40 41 years old. I have a doctorate and a mortgage and a marriage that is old enough to vote. I don't typically suffer from insecurity (at least not outwardly) and I've managed to keep myself alive long enough that I'm fairly confident in my abilities as a functioning human. And yet? Hearing someone say, "I'm proud of you" about something that I worked hard on was a gut punch in the best possible way.
C got a similar response from him at a follow-up visit after he worked his ass off (quite literally, actually) after getting the diagnosis of diabetes. He knew, because he is a functioning adult, that doing healthy things is the right thing to do, but hearing someone recognize that? Game. Changer.
So for today's challenge, I'm grateful for people who use their words to recognize people's efforts. Part of becoming an adult is building your intrinsic motivation, and that's great and important and all that, but it doesn't mean that words of affirmation or a sticker don't really drive the point home sometimes.
Play along! I'd love to hear what words have made an impact in your life lately. Or alternatively, what is your favorite word? I love a good vocabulary word!
I love this!!
ReplyDeleteI have noticed my own words SO MUCH MORE with a baby in the house. She listens to EVERY SINGLE THING and takes it all in. I am trying so hard to speak kindly all the time.