What Did You Give Yourself Credit For Today?

It is a natural human condition for individuals to hold onto the bad things that have happened to them or they may have done during the day, than to remember the good. While I first was reminded of this several years ago during my coach training, it was reinforced recently at a job search support networking group I attended. One of the participants asked the group near the end of the session how they picked themselves up when they received bad news during their search. A number of suggestions were offered. The moderator, who has been a veteran working with numerous people in search for over twenty years offered the following which I pass on.

Certainly for job searchers, (but this holds true for so many others), there will be both good things and bad things that happen during a given day. I know that even I as a coach experience this reality. For me no two days are ever the same. There are days I’ll go into that I’ll plan to get numerous things completed. I’ll find at the end of the day that I may not have completed all of them. When I feel my mood sinking, it is important for me to go back and remember those items that I did get completed. It generally means that I don’t have to worry about those items tomorrow or the day after. Others may prepare me for the activities of the next day. What about the items I did not get done? Well unless they absolutely had a “deadline” to them that indicated they could not be addressed beyond that point, there is always tomorrow to address them. When you truly analyze the items that you face in your day to day life, there are rarely very many items that MUST be completed that very day.

Therefore each day, before you settle in for the night, think through your day. What did you accomplish that day that was positive?   Give yourself credit for those accomplishment(s). For those troubling you, what steps may you take tomorrow that will move you forward on accomplishing them? If you find that you are having difficulty moving past the items that are not getting completed, who may be able to help you move forward with them? Do you have a group of four or five people you can absolutely rely on when you need them? They are those people you feel you can tell anything. They’re able to give you a positive emotional boost when you need it, and frankly be able to tell you when you have not put forth your best effort. Are you ready to bring them in to help you get past that item or items that are hanging you up?

Do you find yourself being your own worst enemy?  Is there something that has happened over the recent few days or weeks that keeps pulling you back? Think through EVERYTHING that you have done. Write down those items which you are proud of, that you have done well, or just glad you have completed. Don’t put a “judgment” to them in terms of importance or degree of difficulty.  Something in your priorities called you to do them. Take credit for having done them well. Do this each day. Someday soon the item or items at the end of the day very well may be the one(s) that you are beating yourself up for today.