Celebrating accomplishments of friends and family often comes so easily. It rolls right off our tongue to say “you did it!” when someone graduates, gets a new job, or has the courage to take a step they’ve been working on.
But when was the last time you stopped and celebrated something YOU did? When you accomplished something big or small, did you stop and take time to acknowledge yourself?
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It only takes a moment, yet noticing even the smallest step forward has a huge impact on your self-confidence.
Acknowledgments are a core Fearless Living tool that you can use in your journey of personal growth.
As a Certified Fearless Living Coach, I encourage all my clients to make a habit of acknowledging themselves regularly.
Click image to view any of the books by Rhonda Britten,
Founder of the Fearless Living Institute:
What does it mean to acknowledge yourself?
Acknowledging yourself is sort of like giving yourself a pat on the back. It’s taking just a moment to stop and consciously recognize yourself for taking any step outside of your comfort zone.
It doesn’t matter if that step was done well or not. The point is you acknowledge that you’re good enough as you are right now.
It also doesn’t matter how big the step is out of your comfort zone.
Even a thought is a step outside of your comfort zone that deserves to be acknowledged. If you think about working out but didn’t actually get on your treadmill, you still had that thought and it’s something to be acknowledged. As you gain confidence, you’ll actually workout. If you never even think about it, it’s highly unlikely to ever happen.
There’s no room for negativity in acknowledgments. Keep everything positive.
Does failure deserve to be acknowledged? Absolutely! Likely that required a big step outside of your comfort zone. Did it take courage? Did you dip your toe in the water? Perfection and failure are equally important as far as being worthy of acknowledging.
Some examples of acknowledgments are:
- Today I acknowledge myself for stopping when I caught myself complaining.
- Today I acknowledge myself for taking my dogs for a long walk.
- Today I acknowledge myself for having the courage to ask for a raise.
- Today I acknowledge myself for thinking about how I can get a better job.
- Today I acknowledge myself for feeling good about my food choices.
At first acknowledging yourself will seem mechanical, but with practice it becomes more natural. It may be difficult to get in the habit because fear doesn’t want you to recognize your steps outside of your comfort zone. Stick with it!
Acknowledging yourself is an act of self-love. What is something you’ve noticed about yourself that deserves some self acknowledgment?
Why Are Acknowledgments So Important?
Are you the type of person who tends to beat yourself up? Do you have a lot of negative self-talk going on either as an internal dialog or speaking out loud?
I know I especially tend to beat myself up when I’m learning something new. When it takes more time than I think it should, that inner critic in me starts squawking!
Acknowledgments are your ticket to get out of that nasty habit of beating yourself up that can hold you back from being your best self.
Acknowledging yourself every day will help silence that negative self-talk because you’ll train your brain to recognize your forward movement. You’ll begin to accept yourself “as is”.
Bottom line is that through a solid habit of acknowledging yourself every single day, you’ll build your self-confidence and self-acceptance.
“Invest in the life you have to get the life you want.”
Rhonda Britten, Founder of the Fearless Living Institute
Would acknowledgments help you “invest in your life”? Would acknowledgments help you “get the life you want”?
How many acknowledgments are too many?
That was a trick question because you can never acknowledge yourself too much!
Last December I took a challenge by Rhonda Britten to write 100 acknowledgements. At first it seemed daunting! I persevered and got my 100, and it felt awesome. I gained a real awareness that I have a lot going well for myself.
I also keep a journal and write 5 gratitudes and 5 acknowledgments each evening. Writing your acknowledgments helps you relive the situation, and that repetition helps train your brain to look for forward movement. Write in the morning, evening, or throughout the day – whatever fits your lifestyle.
Download my free positivity journal page to write 3 positives (gratitudes) that happened in your day:
If writing isn’t your thing or if you drop from exhaustion at the end of the day, find little snippets of time throughout the day to acknowledge yourself.
Actually, make it your goal to acknowledge yourself in the very moments that you take forward steps. And then reinforce the acknowledgment by writing it down.
How would your life shift if you made it a habit to acknowledge yourself throughout each and every day?
Empower Yourself
There’s nobody else in this world who is more important to acknowledge than yourself. It’s one of the best ways you can empower yourself and support yourself through changes (taking risks) that will get you the life your want.
Take time every day to acknowledge how amazing you are! You’ll inspire and motivate yourself.
Taking risks is another important part in building your confidence. Each time you take a risk, your confidence will grow even more! Keep acknowledging and risking, and you’ll empower yourself to make choices from freedom, not fear.
What are you proud of about yourself? This is not vanity or being selfish, it’s something you deserve.
Learn More Fearless Living Tools!
Helping women take their power back from fear and building lasting confidence is my passion.
As a Life Coach, I prepare women to start a new chapter of their lives with more joy, purpose, and fun than ever before.
If you would like to talk with me to see how I can help YOU transform your life, contact me today.
Fearless Living exposes the roots of our fears and gives us the tools to move beyond them. The result is a blueprint for success, happiness, and peace of mind.
Share to help others to boost their confidence:
Today I acknowledge that I’m making progress in my fitness programme – I had always avoided exercises that involved jumping; yesterday I did my round of exercises and I completed the round physically jumping & bouncing instead of chickening out and stepping through the exercises. I did it without thinking & it only occurred to me at the end! Thank you for giving me the go ahead to self acknowledge my achievement via this lovely post.
Good work, Linda! That’s great progress. Keep the momentum going!
Why is it so hard for us to accentuate the positives in our lives?
Good question! Acknowledgments will certainly move is toward doing just that.
So many people do feel guilty doing this. And yet, it is so healthy!
It can be a process getting to the point of knowing you are worthy of acknowledgments. Baby steps.
I think I was taught not to brag. “You are so fortunate that you are smart, and school comes easily for you but you need to be humble”. Gratitude for what others gave yo me is easier. I am leaning to give myself credit for doing the things that are harder for me to do. This week I did not procrastinate and I got my taxes done and finally got a flu shot. I also cleaned up my email and some of my files. It feels so good to get this accomplished. I am learning to pat myself on the back and sometimes to acknowledge my wins to other
You got a lot accomplished this week, each of which is deserving of an acknowledgement! I do understand how gratitudes can feel easier. Acknowledgments will feel more natural with practice.
I needed to read this today – lacking in self confidence at the moment.
Building self-confidence keeps going for a lifetime. Hope a habit of acknowledgments help!