You’re Worth It!

Some of you will be crunching into summer term, some will be starting a summer job either online or in person. Some will be camped at home with family. This is the weekend, or the week to pause and to refresh. 

It’s easy to move from term to term, later from job to job, without pausing. Yet our long term spiritual, physical and mental wellbeing are better ensured by stopping and (a) rewarding ourselves for effort, and (b) reflecting on what went well. Readjusting goals and strategic planning are important, but those come after grounding ourselves in our current state. 

We have all finished a very tough term or two. Whether we are pleased with the result or not, we have got through. (Yes, even if you withdrew, even if you popped an F, you are here. Now. You got through.) Even if you only have a few days, I encourage you to pause and reward yourself for making it this far.  

You begin by reflecting on the challenges met, the many times you made an effort, the many times you had to adapt and adjust. Write them down. If you are still chewing over the challenges not met, write those down on another piece of paper–dealing with them will happen, but put that list aside for now. First be a good boss to yourself and recognize what you have done well, recognize the efforts you have made for yourself and for others.

Then reward yourself. It can be some of the rewards we’ve talked about before or it can be something totally new. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Maybe a hike in a new area. A camera expedition focusing on fresh growth. A spa session. Something that you will enjoy remembering. Make a memento after your activity–a couple of lines written across your list of efforts, or an image for your home page. Put it where you will run across it as the weeks and years go by.

Just for these few days then, keep rereading your list, and know that you are worth special treatment for getting this far. 

And let me know how it’s going. I’d like to hear about your efforts and rewards, and start working with you on the challenges that follow. [email protected]