“Don’t toot your own horn,” my mother always told me.
Translation: don’t be too full of yourself, don’t be too proud of yourself, don’t pat yourself on the back too much, don’t brag, don’t be overconfident … etc., etc., etc.
We don’t much like people who extol their own virtues. We much prefer people who speak in woundology or people who are self-deprecating.
Why don’t we call each other up and crow over our triumphs? Why don’t we speak joyfully about the great night’s sleep we got or the cute dog we saw playing in the park? Why don’t we give ourselves credit for all the things we do everyday, even if they’re so-called ordinary things that everyone does? Isn’t it an accomplishment to brush and floss your teeth, exercise, hold a door open for someone, or smile at a stranger? Why don’t we talk about these things?
Because if we do, people think we’re weird. They think we’re self-centered, way too pleased with ourselves.
The only time we get to exult in the wonder of our life is when it’s a really big deal—a new job, a new lover, a lottery win. Even then, we can only talk about it so much before people think we’re being obnoxious.
I’ve decided it would be a lot easier for us all to feel good if we celebrated each others’ happy moments more often. I think we all need to toot our horns as much as possible. We need to toot and toot and toot!
We might want to start with people we feel really safe with first. I’m starting with my husband, Tim. He understands alignment, creating your own reality, finding a feel good place so you line up with what you want. So he gets that I’m tooting my horn because I want to put my attention on what’s good.
I’m going to tell some friends about it too (those who read this blog, consider yourself forewarned). I’m saying, “I’m going to be exulting a lot. Get used to it.”
Will it change my life? Who knows? That’s what this experiment is all about.
