It Is A Big Deal

I had a birthday in February and it was a big day for me. 
 
See, in my entire 33 years of life, I have NEVER dyed my hair. Not a highlight, lowlight or touch of color has ever been on my hair. 
 
However, I finally needed to bite the bullet and color my hair because the grays were a little too evident (not knocking those with gray hair, I just wasn’t ready for that yet). So, I decided to do some subtle highlights to help blend the grays. It was such a big deal for me! 
 
But guess what?!? No one noticed. Seriously, even my kids were like “It looks the same mom”. I really think my own mom would not have noticed if I hadn’t told her. My husband noticed but honestly I am not sure if he really did or just gave me the reaction he knew I wanted since he knew I was coloring it that day and it was a big deal to me. 
 
I was expecting this big reaction from people because it was a big deal to me and honestly, I was a little disappointed that no one saw it. 
 
The same happened when I bought a leopard print shrug. It was a BIG deal to me because usually I tend to wear pretty neutral clothing that does not stand out. I am not a fan of being the center of attention but I wanted to nudge myself out of my comfort zone and so I bought it. 
 
What was a big deal to me was not to anyone else and I got sad. I started to feel silly for the things that were big to me. 
 
And then I realized, it is still big to me and I need to celebrate that and not expect others to do the celebrating for me.
 
I got out of my comfort zone with my hair and my outfit and challenged myself in ways I have not before. 
 
That change, while small to some, was big for me. 
 
The same may be true for you. 
 
Maybe saying your affirmations daily for a week or starting a morning routine are a big deal to you. 
 
Great! 
 
We don’t need others to affirm our growth or change for it to be big to us. We don’t need others to notice for what we are doing for it to be important. Even if no one notices your increased confidence or your sense of peace, it is still just as big of a deal!
 
NEVER downplay the progress you make because others don’t notice. It is just as important, even if no one else sees it.
 
You are working hard and your growth is important. 
 
You are worth it!
 
If you have not already, check out the blog post about celebrating your wins here.