paige’s ponderings…

Self-doubt is real. It doesn’t matter what you have accomplished in your life, you still need reminders that what you do is okay.

I am 56, have been coaching for 40 years and still question my abilities. I never think I am good enough. In fact, I wear an inspiration bracelet everyday that says I AM ENOUGH so that I can look down at it at any time and remind myself that what I do is good enough.

I think we all need kudos to reinforce the hard work that we do day to day. I had a job once where I worked from 4 pm to 3 am for weeks and weeks and weeks without a day off. The managers would come through and tell us all of the things that we were doing wrong and never once thanked us or told us what a great job we were doing. I have made it a point to be sure to tell my staff when they do something well and to thank them profusely for doing what they do for my program and for their kids. I don’t want anyone to ever feel like I did at that job. It’s one of the reasons I quit—I just didn’t feel appreciated.

I don’t expect validation from others at this point in my life. I have to recognize for myself that I am a good person, a hard worker and am caring. It’s a daily reminder in order to get through long, hard days.