I’m proud of you

Sometimes, life gets crazy and we all get so wrapped up in what we’re doing, that we don’t take a moment to step back and see what we have accomplished. In those rare moments that we look around and see how far we’ve come, it’s great to be encouraged by others, whether it be with words, a high five or a pat on the back.

While many people have this, many don’t. Some people take a deep breath, soak in all they have accomplished, flash a big smile, look around and see no one. They don’t get a “good job.” They don’t get a big hug. They don’t get acknowledged for their work. Their moment of pride is ruined by a rush of disappointment, and that’s just not fair.

So, here I am telling whoever needs it that I’m proud of you. I’m so proud of you for reaching your goals—big and small—and enjoying this moment. I know that just saying I’m proud may not be enough, so here are some reasons why I’m so proud of you (I mean it):

I’m proud of you because you worked hard.

Maybe you don’t realize it, but you put a lot of time, effort and dedication to get where you are. You may write it off as just doing your job or being yourself, but it’s so much more than that. You set your sights and followed through, and that’s something to be proud of.

I’m proud of you because you didn’t give up.

It’s so tempting to listen to that little voice in your head that tells you, you can’t do it. It limits you and makes you feel like you’re not good enough. Instead of listening to that voice, you powered through it. You persevered through the hard times and made it out the other end.

I’m proud of you because you defied the odds.

There are so many times in life when we hear “You can’t do that” or “That’ll never happen.” I can almost guarantee that you heard that many times throughout this process, but you persisted. In doing so, you proved every single person wrong, defying the odds.

I’m proud of you because you did this for you.

If you’re like me, you tend to put others before yourself, wanting to make sure everyone else is well off before making sure that you are. It’s not a terrible characteristic to have, but it often leads to forgetting to do things for yourself, too. Well, you didn’t do that this time. You did this because it was something you wanted to accomplish. Simple as that.

I’m proud of you because you tossed aside your fears.

Which is an incredibly hard thing to do (I’m currently struggling with this at the moment). More often than not, your fears are what creates those seeds of doubt in your mind. They trigger that little voice in your head that tells you to give up. You eliminated those fears (or just got super good at ignoring them) and that’s amazing in and of itself.

I’m proud of you because you deserve every bit of this.

You finally achieved what you’ve been striving for. Isn’t it the best feeling? It’s like you’re on top of the world, even for the briefest amount of time. Enjoy that feeling, because you deserve it. Every struggle, every hurdle, every moment of thinking has brought you to this point.

I’m proud of you because you did it.

I could leave it at that, because that’s reason enough. You did it. You did it because you’re smart, creative, driven, dedicated and so much more. You accomplished what you were striving for, and you deserve all the praise in the world. I mean, come on, you freaking did it!!!

I hope that whoever needed to see this, saw it. We can tell ourselves that we don’t need validation from others over and over again, and we can tell ourselves that all that matters is what we think of ourselves, but sometimes it’s nice to get more.

It feels good when someone compliments you for your hard work. It feels good when you get that “good job” from a colleague, friend, parent or boss. It feels good when you feel appreciated for all that you’ve done and continue to do.

I hope reading this made you feel good and I hope it made you feel appreciated, because you truly are. Never forget that.

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