Take a moment, raise your hand...

.... and pat yourself on the back!

Yes that's right, I am asking you to physically pat yourself on the back. Now for added impact I want you to say, out loud, "Well done, you did it!" How does that feel? Strange? Good? Are people looking at you like you've been at the mulled wine? Good, let them look. Let them hear that you have done a good job. Revel in the feeling of success, why shouldn't you?!

It doesn't matter what "it" is, everyone's "it" will be different. Maybe you've handed in an assignment on time, maybe you remembered to post your Christmas cards before the postal deadline, maybe you finally sent that email that's been lurking in your draft box for days, maybe you stood at the front of your kids carol concert and made a total tit of yourself just for giggles and actually enjoyed it......for all those things and for every other "it" out there ...... pat yourself on the back! 

Look what you can achieve, bet you didn't think you'd been so productive and had fun in the process. So often I find myself thinking about how much I still have to do rather than stopping for a moment to reflect on what I have already done. We should take pleasure in the wins however big or small they are, listen to the laughter and join in, reflect on the friendships we've cultivated and be thankful for the people around us and supporting us on our journey, dance round the room like a looney just for the hell of it (I find this is most effective when accompanied with loud music but it's your call) ....heck we deserve it! 

Hey, if we don't blow our own trumpet sometimes, no one else will do it for us.