Have you received a pat on the back for anything lately? Hopefully, yes, but if not, that’s just how life goes sometimes. I know what it’s like. You can be doing all the right and necessary things. You might even go above and beyond for weeks or even months at a time and see it go unappreciated or unnoticed by anyone else.

But while recognition is nice, what’s more important is achieving quiet victories for your own edification. They don’t need to be world-changing, but you need to be getting some on a regular basis. It’s not important for others to know about it and there’s no need to wait for a pat on the back. What matters is that you know you’re overcoming challenges and achieving good things.

Sometimes I have workouts where it seems like my energy is limitless. It’s not something I announce, and no one hands me a trophy, but I feel like a winner afterwards. The victory is mine, even though I’m the only one who knows about it. Likewise, every time you train, you give yourself a chance to achieve a little victory. It may be achieving a new personal best. Or it might be one of those days when you will yourself through a grueling workout despite being tempted to quit. 

There will be times when you have to build yourself up because other people won’t always do it for you. It’s not necessarily that they’re ignoring you. Most of the time, they’re just caught up thinking about their own stuff. This applies both inside and outside of the gym. People won’t always notice or care about the work you put in, even when the results benefit them. 

The point is that self-esteem is a real thing, and no one can have self-esteem for you. 

Sayonara until next time.

*Pep Talk has not been authored in whole or in part by any artificial intelligence tools.