DEC 31, 2018 – The new year, this clean slate, always feels so wonderfully promising, doesn’t it?! So full of hope and great expectations. Fyi, at Cardthartic, we’ve made a joint resolution: Acknowledge Ourselves More.
It’s a practice I learned years ago in a six-week workshop back in Chicago. My friend Gay Gelman and I joined the group committed to looking for the best in ourselves rather than focusing on shortcomings. (Well, at least one night a week. :) I remember the first meeting: Gay and I sat in the little circle of seekers in beanbag chairs and were instructed to one-by-one say, “I acknowledge myself for …” After completing the sentence, we were to start & finish it again and again just as many times as we could. Well. You’d have thought we’d been told to plan a walk on the moon, “I acknowledge myself for …” was so daunting. Blatantly pat ourselves on the back, out loud, to six total strangers … are you kidding me?!
We all sat similarly dumbstruck until the facilitator, Rick, singled out someone who quickly said, “Can’t think of a thing.” Undaunted, Rick insisted, “There must be Something you can feel good about having done recently,” but he said it patiently as he’d seen this same discomfort many times before. “You were open-minded about coming tonight, right?” he tried, and Gay’s face said exactly what I was thinking, “Yep, big mistake!” But our relentless leader went right on to propose, “Try, ‘I acknowledge myself for my commitment to growth.'”
It’s like building confidence muscle, Rick explained. “When we consciously acknowledge all the little things we accomplish along the way, we’re building strength and resolve to tackle bigger, more important stuff we want to achieve.” Ahh, that made sense, but we were still reluctant to begin. It was when one guy shrugged, “I got nothin,” that our mentor smiled confidently and said, “Ok. Did you get out of bed today?” Twelve eyes rolled. “Seriously. Try it,” he said, including us all. ‘I acknowledge myself for getting out of bed today.'” We did, only to hear his fast follow-up, “Did you brush your teeth?” We all laughed, which broke the tension, and then soon found that Rick was right. Momentum kicked in and our acknowledgment of increasingly meaningful accomplishments began proudly spilling out. Each week we left feeling GREAT.
Hehe, I called Gay at home in LA last night and read her this story. She giggled, “Well, Jodester, you can acknowledge yourself for remembering this word-for-word from more than 20 years ago!” I said, “And, Gayzie, I acknowledge myself for hanging on to a friend and muse as caring and adventurous as you.” It’s a very empowering practice when you do it regularly, though surprisingly difficult at the start. Within Cardthartic, we all feel blessed to have great Reps, Retail Partners and Cardies who make a point of sending kind praise our way, yet it’s another thing to see accomplishments through our own eyes, feel the pride, and give ourselves credit for the good we’ve done with our days.
So here at the close of another 365, we cordially invite you to find a few minutes to sit and join us in acknowledging ourselves for all we made happen this past whirlwind of a year. And, a la Rick, here’s a starting thought for you. Having had the honor of fulfilling all your card orders in 2018, at Cardthartic we know for a fact that you can rightly say, “I acknowledge myself for being thoughtful. I acknowledge myself for being compassionate. I acknowledge myself for being kind.”
All the best to you. Happy 2019!
~ jodee stevens
founder & chief creative
