Today is an exciting day that I want to celebrate with you all. A couple of years after I published my book, I started receiving inquiries from readers wanting a follow up.
Writing 366 new daily readings, editing them and creating a new book—so soon after the first one—was not on my agenda. But to honor the request, in November, 2018, I decided to start a weekly blog to share new meditations that somewhere down the road would lead to a second offering in the Finding the Gift series. This weekly commitment to readers would also keep me writing consistently, and help me approach the monumental task of a second book by chipping away at it in small
increments. And it has!
By my best estimations, today marks my 175th weekly Tuesday meditation. Even during vacations or other travel, I have been able to meet you here by writing and preparing a meditation in advance, and scheduling it for delivery on Tuesday mornings.
Doing anything for 175 weeks in a row is cause for celebration, but until a few weeks ago, I had no idea what the count was. I wasn’t tracking this milestone at all. I have operated most of my life as a workaholic. When not engaged in working, I was still a do-aholic, constantly “doing” from the moment I woke up until bedtime. My tendency has been to just keep going, never recognizing achievement, and only thinking, What’s next? What do I need to do now?
A workaholic or do-aholic mindset robs us of the opportunity to experience the fruits of our labor, to rest on the mountain tops and look around with a sense of completion, fulfillment, gratitude and contentment.
If the only reward I ever give myself is the temporary reprieve from the feeling of not being or doing enough, I’m driven by the wrong things. That way of living revolves around avoiding fear and shame, with a constant need to prove my worth by my actions, rather than honoring cycles of work, and recognizing milestones along the way.
Cheering ourselves on as we go through life is very different from bragging, which is puffing myself up in an effort to impress you and attempt to silence my feelings of inferiority. Accomplishments shared with humility are impactful and inspiring. By sharing our triumphs, we encourage others to achieve and celebrate theirs.
For the last six months, I’ve participated in a group on Monday mornings with a few other like-minded women who are maintaining their own forms of mass communication. We say hello and set our intentions, then mute our phones and work silently for two hours on our own projects. We come together again for a few minutes at the end to share how it went, specifically what victories we enjoyed, or what struggles we navigated.
The woman who started the group has remarked several times what a big deal it is that I have sent an e-newsletter every week for three and a half years. I had never looked at it that way. Her comments always surprised me, and have slowly helped me see that this is a big deal worth noticing and celebrating. So here we are!
Curious how many weekly blogs I've actually written in the last three and a half years, I did the calculations a few weeks back. When I realized that today would mark the 175th week of back to back Tuesday meditations, I set a reminder to celebrate. Woo hoo!
Celebrating with words is a start, but I really want to learn and model how to commemorate special moments in a more tangible or ceremonial way. Today I will light a candle and sit in silence for five minutes, contemplating my journey of life and written reflection from November, 2018 until today, with gratitude for each of you who continue to walk beside me. I know many of you have been with me a long time and I’m grateful for each one of you, and also those who are just now joining
us.
To all of you who are reading this today, I am honored that you would share a portion of your day with me. Many of you are faithful to replying to my emails or posting in our Facebook group, to tell me how a particular week touched you in a meaningful way. Thank you! You put gas in my tank to keep writing.
I shared something that I had read last week meant to encourage bloggers, that there is someone out there with wounds the size of my words. I relate to that so much as a reader and a writer. I am motivated to pay it forward in gratitude for all the writers who have nurtured me.
From now on, I commit to celebrate every twenty-five weekly meditations. That sounds like a lot to me, but it’s not quite two times a year. I think I’m worth giving myself a few moments of recognition twice a year. I’m sure you deserve some, too.
Are you comfortable receiving praise? Are you able to praise yourself? Or are you more task-driven like I have been, where milestones aren’t tracked and acknowledged, much less celebrated?
Today I want to encourage you to take a look at what you are doing well. What deserves recognition and celebration in your life? Do you show up faithfully for work? Do you father or mother your children and grandchildren well, with abundant time and love? Are you devoted to furry children who would otherwise not have a home? Do you nurture a passion that blesses your soul and perhaps others, on a somewhat regular basis? Maybe you are making progress in taking good care of your health or
your finances? Every single one of us is triumphant in some area of life. What deserves celebrating today? Measure it and make it count!
Honoring our journeys is an important part of our walk together. Thank you for being an important part of mine, and today, for sharing in my 175th meditation celebration.
Hmm… 175 is almost halfway to the next 366 FTG daily reader book. Monumental achievements always come from bite-sized actions taken consistently and repeatedly over time. But that’s a topic for another day!
