Scrolling back through photos recently I found this, taken by my daughter as I attempted to recreate a teenage eye roll.

It made me laugh. And also perfectly summed up how I felt (and most likely what I looked like) when my coach first asked me the hardest questions I find to answer:

What do you want to acknowledge yourself for?

What skills or qualities about yourself are you celebrating?

They completely threw me.

What I was thinking | Ummm, Sue, why are you asking me that irrelevant question? I’m not here to talk about what I’ve done, I’m here to work out what’s next. Why are we wasting time on this when I just want to crack on?

What I said | Ummm… that I did what I said I would?

She didn’t let me off the hook.

Over time, and with her clear, firm, kind encouragement, I’ve got a lot better at answering the questions.

At celebrating each step I take.

At acknowledging progress rather than rushing past it.

At sharing my successes with her - I love a voice note.

At times it feels a little… cheesy? Self indulgent? Too much? Looking back not forward?

And yet the benefits far outweigh those doubts.

Saying it out loud to someone else brings it to life in a different way.

For me, and for you too.

When you own your accomplishments and your growth you create an identity shift - one step at a time.

You step into a new level of belief in what you can go on to do.

It’s so much more fun to grow when you know you’re growing.

It’s so much more energising to celebrate a step before you take the next one.

It’s both useful and powerful to notice progress and acknowledge the steps you have taken.

Do you rush past your progress?

What can you acknowledge about yourself right now?

And how can you make it real to yourself?

Wishing you all a great week,