Today’s video is longer, it’s from a poet and teacher named Taylor Mali. I have watched this over and over again, and every time it makes me cheer and shout for teachers.
So what do you make? It doesn’t have to be anything big. Do you make great bread? Beautiful gardens? A good listener? Maybe you save lives, help peole find their dreams, or give hope?
It is too easy for most people to list all of the things they suck at and all the places in life where they fail, so can you list three things you’re good at or ways that you make a difference?
My three things-
I’m a great critique partner for sensation and details- I know if they’re missing!
I am a good listener.
I make yummy nori rolls.
You know, this post is especially meaningful for me today because as my kids get older (every day, it seems) I keep reminding myself of all the lost opportunities instead of the great things I did for them. Instead of how much I have loved them and spent my life caring for them, I think of how many times I said I didn’t feel like going to the park or I didn’t want to read a story that particular night. So negative! Then I read your post and thought, dang! Why am I focusing on the negative all the time? I am a great mom. I make a super cheese cake. And I love strongly.
Patti
I constantly struggle with focusing on the good things in my life and the good I have done instead of the things I have failed at, or forgotten or or or …. I think being a writer makes it worse, because our imaginations are so intense and usually on high. 90% of the time I’m the only one bother by my list of how much I have failed at. I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal and it’s helping keep me focused on the postoperative. BTW- I LOVE cheesecake!
Absolutely – we mom’s need to praise ourselves for what we do instead of berate ourselves for what we don’t!
Exactly! I think it’s harder because we don’t have a ‘boss’ with a list of what we need to do, instead we have a culture full of thousands of ideas of what a ‘good’ parent does and you won’t know if what you chose to do is good or bad until they’re grown, we can only love them a try our best.
I’m a good friend. I’m there for people when they need me to the best of my ability. I don’t take crap from people.
Great post!
Awesome! I like the balance of being there, but having clear boundries and not putting up with people’s crap.
Love love love the positive energy from this post! And you are correct, we are too quick to admit to things we “suck” at but not good at telling people what we are “good” at! What is wrong with this???
Anyway, I do bake really good chocolate chip cookies, am a very good and faithful “thank you note” writer (a lost art) and am good at making polite dinner conversation with even the shiest person at the table.
I wish I was better at Thank you notes! I used to make a mean cookie but haven’t tried since removing gluten from my diet, I think I’ll work at it. I can do conversation- but the polite bit- I really don’t edit so well.
Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting!
Alica