Do Me Write - Ice Cream for the Soul by Joy Koenig, MD - Personal Growth, Wellness, Healthy Lifestyle, Meditation, Inspiration

DO ME WRITE!
CATEGORY

        Writing Exercise

DESCRIPTION

        Write about your strengths from an outsider's point of view.

INSTRUCTIONS

        Write a letter to yourself with love, affection, and appreciation for who you are and what you have survived and accomplished. Start by going through the list of traits, characters and adjectives at the front of this book. Circle the ones that describe you. Now, list your negative traits, and see if can find a synonym with a positive connotation -- stubborn can be tenacious, lazy can be relaxed, impractical can be creative, moody can be emotionally expressive, and critical can be analytical. Now, take stock of your accomplishments. What skills and talents do you have? Write about all that you have built, expressed, completed, survived and overcome. Now think of lives that you have touched. Who has breathed a little easier for having had you in their life? You may find it easiest to make lists first, then go back and turn your lists into descriptive sentences. You can even add drawings.

        This can be a difficult activity for some people. If you get stuck during this exercise, imagine yourself listening to your best friend. What positive things would that person say about you? If you want, give the list of traits, characteristics and adjectives to a friend and let them circle the ones they believe fit you. See if you agree with them, and come up with examples of ways you express the trait. Everyone has positive traits and characteristics.
JOY'S JOURNEY

        Modesty can be a virtue, but it also has its downside. I remember being told that it was immodest for me to brag about my good grades. Ironically, when my brother bragged about his good grades, he was applauded. This gender bias is common in many families and in many cultures. It may be considered impolite or socially inappropriate to tell others about our good qualities and our successful accomplishments; however, healthy self-esteem requires that we think about and consciously know our strengths. Low self-esteem is sometimes the result of thinking modestly.

        I was forced to examine the definitions of self-assurance, confidence, pride, arrogance and modesty, when I put together my business plan for a bank loan. My friend Beverly told me that the bank would be investing in me as well as the product, so I needed to sell myself as much as the idea and product. She made me go home and write a glowing recommendation for myself. It took me forever, and the only way I was able to do it was to pretend I was seeing myself and my accomplishments through the eyes of a stranger. After I pieced everything together, I read what I'd written and thought, "Wow!" I hadn't appreciated everything I'd done and what my positive personality traits were because I had been trained to focus on where I fell short of the mark. I wondered if I'd have the courage to actually share what I'd written with anyone else because it seemed so unfeminine and immodest.

        As I became more knowledgeable about the male-dominated business world, I become more comfortable with tooting my own horn. If I don't see my own worth, how can I expect that someone else would?

QUOTES

Praise is the only gift for which people are really grateful.
Lady Marguerite Blessington

Many men know how to flatter, few men know how to praise.
Greek Proverb

Dr. Joy is available to present playful workshops (playshops) at your corporate training retreat, non profit organization gathering, or club membership meetings. She is located in Denver, Colorado, and travels throughout the US to deliver Serious Fun ™ Programs for personal growth, wellness, and inspiration. Please see the program pages for details and contact information.

This playful meditation activity is COPYRIGHTED. If you are a professional trainer, coach, human resources person, counselor, or therapist it is not ethical nor legal for you to use it or share it with your clients or those you supervise/train as part of your job. See the copyright notice on the front page of this e-book. Remember, character is what you do when no one is looking. Please take the high road, and pay me appropriately to use these materials professionally, even if you work for a church, school, non-profit or the government.