Hi,
This is Clay Stevenson and welcome to Of Mice and Moments,
A podcast that finds significance in the small moments.
I just want to let you know you're doing a good job.
Showing up to work every day,
Taking care of your kids,
Doing your work,
Completing your assignments,
Making it in,
Just being there,
Showing up.
You're doing a good job.
You're doing well.
Taking care of the dishes when they're dirty,
Making your bed,
Cleaning your room,
Getting gas in the car.
Just getting out of bed.
You're doing well.
Making something to eat,
Doing something for yourself every now and again.
You're doing a good job.
Saying no just one time,
Even to something you could do but you know you shouldn't.
Deciding to read a book,
Deciding to go to bed on time.
Going for that walk or run,
Exercising.
You're doing well.
Even making a plan for those things,
You're doing well.
Completing a task,
Even if it's late.
Getting places.
You're doing a good job.
You're doing well.
Caring for your brother,
Your sister,
Your mom,
A family member,
Your grandparents.
Giving them a call every now and again,
Reaching out,
Thinking about somebody else.
You're doing good.
Paying a bill,
Doing the paperwork,
Returning something you borrowed,
Learning something new.
You're doing good.
Think of all these ways you're doing well.
You're doing well.
Good job.
You're alive another day,
That's good.
You took a shower.
You cut your nails.
You washed your hair.
Well done.
I may not know you but I'm proud of you for doing those good things that you do and persisting.
Compared to where you've been or where you could be,
You have it together.
I can almost guarantee that you don't hear enough.
The fact that you're doing a good job.
That you're doing well.
I can almost promise you that you don't have enough people telling you that you're good.
I believe for most of us there is something built in that desires praise and words of encouragement.
I have early memories of trying to impress my parents.
I can remember wanting to make sure that they saw me get a base hit at a baseball game or make a shot playing basketball.
Going through elementary school my teachers would tell me how proud they were of my good grades or my good behavior in class.
However,
Those positive words of encouragement became more few and far between as I got into middle school and then high school and then young adulthood.
I can still remember calling up my dad as a young man to tell him about a new job or that my wife was pregnant.
I longed for and anticipated his positive reactions,
His excitement,
His words of encouragement.
Unfortunately it seems the higher you climb in this ladder of life,
Whether it's through graduating promotions at work,
Getting married,
Starting a family,
Having kids,
The further you go the less and less people tell you how well you're doing.
I remember the moment when I realized this shortly after I started my current job.
I was sitting in my office reflecting on the last couple of weeks and feeling like I had been doing well but I still questioned.
Nobody was complaining.
Everybody around me seemed content and happy with my work but I wasn't hearing accolades or praise for a job well done.
I felt like I wanted to hear accolades and words of encouragement.
It struck me then that in my current system and situation no one would be looking over my shoulder to compliment my work.
No one would be patting me on the back and making sure I felt good about myself.
As I sat there introspectively in my office it hit me.
It wasn't that words of encouragement and praise were absent from my life because I was doing poor work.
It was due to the fact that I had now moved into a position where I was the person responsible for giving praise and accolades.
I'm the dad,
The teacher,
The supervisor.
I have people that I'm responsible for who need positive words,
Who need encouragement.
So I'm going to tell you you're doing a good job.
Soak in that.
Take it in.
Let it feed you.
Imagine yourself with that praise and with those accolades.
And maybe in your life you're in a position like I'm in where others aren't giving you the praise and accolades you once got.
And if that's the case maybe you're not getting that kind of fuel.
What's helped me is telling others that they are doing a good job.
That has fueled me and sustained me.
And for you it may be worth a try.
All right.
You you
