The doorway to my office.
No, no to the rah-rah!
I know my email sign off is “you’re awesome and you’re doing great” … So this may be an unexpected confession.
But I’m not one for empty cheerleading.
I’m actually a little nervous to confess it, but there’s a way that the reflexive, automatic, OTT showering of praise and whatnot not only feels false, it feels like it creates a brittleness.
Like we’re on a reality TV show, and we’re pumping up our brands to get followers and influence, and whatever else.
Maybe I should get off my soapbox here and ask you …. Where’s the line between helpful encouragement and, ahem, blowing smoke up your arse?
Yes to being seen
What I do need and want, always, is to be recognized. Especially when I’m stretching myself.
I don’t need confetti guns, and I would like an email saying “hey, saw this … congrats.”
I don’t need a parade, and I do love hearing, “I really appreciate how you…”
I don’t need a spotlight, and I do like someone saying, “I’m celebrating this for you.”
I don’t need rah-rah, and it’s so helpful to hear, “I’ve got your back, and you can do this.”
You’re awesome and you’re doing great
This line doesn’t feel empty to me.
(I appreciate that’s a self-serving statement. But I hope it doesn’t feel empty to you either.)
You’re awesome: it is extraordinary to be alive, to be conscious, to have choice and agency, to be able to love, to give, to take.
You’re doing great; whether it’s working or not, on the upswing or the downswing, my guess is you’re doing your best. Keep going. Keep bringing what you have.
You’re seen in The Conspiracy
The place I live and breathe this sign-off alongside others is inside my membership community, The Conspiracy.
The Conspiracy is not a place for cheap praise, it’s a place where people are seen and deeply encouraged—including me. If you’d like to be a part of that kind of culture, doors close today and don’t open again until December.
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