Congratulations! 🙌

 

How hard do you have to work to hear that? 

Well, you don’t always have to. 

Congratulations!

Congratulations for taking deeper breathes when you felt overwhelmed. 

Congratulations for distracting yourself when you found it hard to focus. 

Congratulations when you found the courage to get up and go for a walk when you really wanted to just lay there. 

Congratulations for choosing to tell yourself you’re stronger than you think right now. 

Congratulations for making yourself reach out when you really wanted to isolate. 

Congratulations for doing an extra push-up when you wanted to quit. 

Congratulations on simply being aware of that negative pattern of thoughts returning. 

Congratulations on choosing to not go down the rabbit whole of negativity.

Congratulations for knowing when to talk and when to be quiet. 

Congratulations for understanding yourself a little better every day.

Congratulations for writing this. 

Congratulations!

I finally get it.

We could never really blame them. They don't know what to do.

It's easy to go to a bachelorette, wedding, or baby shower (tangible milestones). But how do you celebrate the 'creative' and the 'academic' (abstract milestones)?

While you're having your third child, I'm getting my third degree.  While pregnant or preparing for a wedding; they expect prayers, words of encouragement and "ooohhs and aaahhs" complimenting their progress.
No one can see the progress of your thesis, therefore they don't know how to react. So what do we expect? Encouragement, prayers, and 'you're doing well' would be nice. But how can they when they see no evidence? 

Bringing it to expectations.  People want you to do good based on their expectations of you.  Based on their subjective viewpoint. This is why the wedding, baby, house, and car is easy to celebrate and the achievements of a creative/academic are not.
Also because the creative and academics have their own definition of success and have shifted out of the 'system' created by society to create their own path.  So how can we expect them to understand?  Hence we remain quiet, have 'lonely' moments and have to continuously be our own source of encouragement. (picture)

We academics and creatives cannot blame them, they simply do not know how to respond.

I finally get it.

#noexpectations #understanding