TL;DR:
- Each day, choose to appreciate YOU.
- Choose YOU by loving yourself unapologetically, doing something nice for yourself, and being insanely grateful for yourself.
Imagine this scenario for a moment.
You have just pulled into your garage after a rather long and taxing day at work. You gather your heavy bag full of papers to grade, reports to read, and a half-eaten lunch that you were unable to finish.
A few sighs are exhaled as you amble through the door to see what awaits on the inside. The rest is left up to your imagination. While taking great care of juggling everyone else at home and at work, you may feel a little left out.
Will you take the events of the day and let them be a source of discomfort, or will you allow them to be catalysts for gratitude? The choice is yours.
While it may seem an easy decision to make, there are often a few obstacles in the way to prevent self-confidence successfully. Possible headaches like doubt, fear, exhaustion, and impatience block the path.
When was the last time you thanked yourself? Decide to show up for YOU with an attitude of gratitude. Acknowledge yourself for being a source of positivity and inspiration for everything you do and everything you are. Click To TweetSound like a familiar pattern in your life?
Maybe you are completely depleted and incapable of showing appreciation to anyone around you. The tank is empty. There’s nothing left to give.
Interestingly enough, taking the time to embrace and show gratitude to YOURSELF is an important foundation that you can build on daily to fill back up.
When you learn to hold yourself in high regard, you will evolve into being able to sustain your heart and spirit without depending on accolades from others.
Kindness, consideration, and genuine compassion towards others are wonderful habits to practice. However, you may truly desire love and appreciation that is directed towards you.
How can you avoid feeling burned out with the constant giving and not receiving enough recognition back to sustain your heart and spirit?
Here is a call to action that you can effectively apply to your daily practice of self-care that can bring JOY and APPRECIATION.
Appreciate YOU: First, love yourself unapologetically.
Bury the restrictions that your flaws and imperfections have blinded you with. Drop the limitations and conditions you place on your life. Take a few moments each day to meditate on a specific mantra or pray. Cast down your worries and anxieties, replacing them with affirmations of grace and acceptance.
Appreciate YOU: Second, do something nice for yourself.
You deserve to be rewarded. There is at least one thing that you have accomplished that you should be proud of, regardless of whether or not anyone else showed up to appreciate you. Allow yourself to unwind, breathe, and relax with an activity that supports your body, mind, and soul.
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Appreciate YOU: Lastly, be insanely grateful for yourself.
When was the last time you thanked yourself? Decide to show up for YOU with an attitude of gratitude. Acknowledge yourself for being a source of positivity and inspiration for everything you do and everything you are. Nourish your soul with heartfelt appreciation. YOU are worthy and loved.
Some days will be easier than others. Embrace that fact and keep moving forward. Being joyful and feeling the abundance of self-appreciation fosters a mindset of contentment and peace.
Choose to feel, think, and act from a position of graceful abundance by dwelling in thankfulness without boundaries. It is not a perfect formula for embracing difficult challenges or circumstances, but hopefully, it will serve as a guide to stay grounded and shake loose self-doubt.
Choose to appreciate YOU.
Showing appreciation for others and for life has become a daily habit for me, and it begins early in the morning when I awake and “Win the A.M.!” As I reflect on the previous day and how I want the day ahead to look, I write down at least three names of people I appreciate. I then make it a priority to let them know that day how much I appreciate and value them!
This keeps me focused on all the good going on in my life. This has transferred over into my classroom where daily we talk about one thing we are thankful for, BUT especially on Thursday! That day is #ThankfulThursday where we really dig deep into what we are thankful for and what we appreciate. My students journal about it. Then I make them take their phones out and send a text or DM to someone to simply say they VALUE that person and the role they play in their life. Honestly, taking the time daily to think of people I appreciate and then letting them know…LIFE CHANGER! — Mark Horner, Teacher & Teach Better Ambassador (@THSMr_Horner)
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About Jillian DuBois
Jillian DuBois currently serves as an elementary school educator in Clearwater, FL. She has worked both in public and private educational settings for over 20 years. Her passion is to initiate, instill, and infuse joy to those in educational leadership through blogs and podcasts. Jillian uses her voice to help foster hope for student equity and empathy. Outside of school, you will find Jillian outdoors, soaking up the sun and surf, or finding new paths to hike with her husband and son. You can visit her website here!
