Sometimes it’s important to acknowledge that you’ve done a good job. Tomorrow I’m going to be auditioning to get into a very competitive 6 month acting program that could be huge for my career. I’ve worked my audition monologue backwards, forwards, sideways, and upside down. I’ve dissected it: adding sensory memories, back story, tactics, objectives, relationships and parallels (actors will know what I mean by this). I have tried on my costume, meditated, breathed, and reviewed my notes again and again. So now I will say it one more time: sometimes it’s important to step back and acknowledge that you’re ready. That you’ve done everything you can possibly do to prepare, and that all that is left for you to do is let go.  A difficult but necessary step.

I have always found it hard to congratulate myself when I do something good. It’s easy to punish myself when I do something bad. I have no problem calling myself undisciplined, weak, and impulsive when I eat that third cupcake, sleep in, or (gasp) miss a workout. Try giving yourself a genuine pat on the back when you get up early and go to the gym, when you walk by the pantry without absentmindedly grabbing a handful of chocolate raisins, when you complete even one thing on your to-do list.

I had a wonderfully focused and productive day today. I cooked myself a light breakfast of two eggs over-hard, and ate my breakfast while catching up on the locally shot show “Once Upon a Time.” Then, without procrastinating even a little bit, I put on my workout gear and running shoes and ran a 10k on the treadmill in 55 minutes and 3 seconds. After showering and enjoying a protein shake, I organized all of my notes for school and drew up a plan for the week. Then I sat down to work on my monologue, interrupting my play only to meditate and eat. I worked steadily on my monologue for several hours. When I felt that I had done all I could, I headed to a coffee shop near my house (where I am now) to read, work on some homework, and write this blog entry. I would call this a focused and disciplined day. The old me, would look at this list of accomplishments and think “I could have done more.” Today, I am not going to feed that self-defeating part of myself, but instead I am going to give myself permission to smile. Congratulations on a fantastic day.

Love yourself. That is the lesson here. Love yourself, and you will treat yourself the way you deserve to be treated. You will put your priorities and goals first, you will eat right, and you will laugh and enjoy every second of your life.

Love everything you do, love everything you are, and love all the possibilities that lay before you.