I’m Proud of You

By Michelle Mclean

As this year closes, tell someone that you are proud of them. Send a text, record a voice-note or make a call, telling that person about something that they do/have done that you are particularly proud of.

Everyone is doing their best, trying to get by and get better. None of us knows what the other is dealing with. A simple ‘I’m proud of you‘ can make a person feel seen and being seen is both a validation of what’s been done and an invitation to continue.

Last month, I was speaking to someone in a professional setting and they mentioned a significant milestone that they had recently accomplished. I knew the challenges that they had faced along the way and I said that I was proud of them.

There was an awkward pause and I was worried that I had over stepped a professional boundary. Then this person told me that no-one else had remarked upon their achievement, not even their parents, and my words had touched them.

As someone with a lot of cheerleaders, I was saddened to realise that there are people who don’t have this kind of support. It is human nature to want to be seen but many people go through their days serving others, performing for an audience and doing what is expected of them without any acknowledgment.

We don’t know who those people are but the chances are it’s your strong, capable, uncomplaining friend. The one who just gets on with things without a fuss. Give the gift of visibility, tell someone you are proud of them today.

2021 has been an unsettling year and looks set to end in more uncertainty. It’s likely that you have dealt with restrictions, readjustment and disappointment. Division and mistrust may have weighed heavily. Yet, you are here, adjusting, aspiring and ready to face 2022. For that, I am proud of you.