My mother had a scrapbook documenting her children’s accomplishments. Newspaper articles, photos of trophies, letters of praise—all carefully preserved between the pages of a notebook, but not one mention of me in the entire book.
Whenever I saw that scrapbook, I felt bad about myself. I believed there was something wrong with me, that I was not good enough, that I was a failure.
Years passed and one day I was sitting in my garden and noticed the wide array of flowers growing around me. I saw how each bloom had a unique beauty all its own. While the rose may be regarded as the most beautiful (and have several awards to prove it!), the vibrant morning glory was lovely, too. Even the textured bloom of the pincushion flower had a homespun charm all its own. Each flower had a special style and grace unlike any other. Each flower was beautiful in its own way.
Each Flower Was Beautiful In Its Own Way
As I sat there, I realized I was like the flowers. Each flower was different, yet equally beautiful—and so was I. I had my own style. I had my own strengths and abilities. No one else was quite like me. My beauty, self-worth and value had been there all along. I just had to open my eyes to see it.
This realization prompted me to create my own scrapbook, a scrapbook celebrating me. Whenever anyone paid me a compliment, gave me the slightest praise, or I achieved anything at all, I wrote it down, dated it and pasted it in a notebook. Instead of concentrating on what was wrong with me, I celebrated what was right. I magnified my good points.
If I was feeling down or bad about myself, I would open the notebook and read all the encouraging messages and celebrate them, expressing gratitude for each one. Soon I became more confident in my abilities and more aware of my strong points. I discovered I didn’t have to be perfect to celebrate myself, I just had to be willing to acknowledge the good in me. When I magnified my assets, they multiplied.
Before long, I began spotting this special beauty in others. I found that being unique meant I didn’t have to compare myself to others. It meant I could celebrate the extraordinary people around me and embrace the qualities that made each of them exceptional and one-of-a-kind in their own special way.
We Each Deserve To Be Celebrated
We each have strengths and abilities. We each have beauty and value. We each deserve to be celebrated for being a rare individual with exquisite gifts and talents. Look at you—you’re amazing! You’re brilliant. There is so much to celebrate about you.
So go ahead and create your own scrapbook, a scrapbook celebrating you! By acknowledging what is right about you, you will discover how capable and courageous you really are.
Embrace your distinctive qualities. Celebrate them. Celebrate beautiful, unique, lovable you!
2 responses to “Scrapbook of Celebrations”
What a fun idea … creating my own scrapbook of accomplishments. In this moment it seems my art journals serve a similar purpose. When I’m not feeling inspired or creative, I look back my art journals. Delight and awe strike my fancy along with it an affirmation of potential stimulates encouragement to practice. It feels like a ‘what else is possible’ carrot has been dangled in front of my heart.
Thank you, Julie.
Your journal sounds like a wonderful way to celebrate your unique beauty.
Thanks for sharing this, Sallie