What do you like about you?

Here are 5 things I like about me.

Jul 21, 2022

A few months back, a friend celebrated her birthday by writing about 10 things she likes about herself on her newsletter. I really enjoyed the piece and thought this was an excellent post idea, so I’m borrowing it for today’s newsletter which comes a few days before my 33rd birthday.

Why am I doing this?

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you’ll probably know that I think rather highly of myself.1 I don’t know if that’s a strength or a character flaw, but there’s a small part of me that’s wondering: do I really need to write down the things I like about myself? Am I not already big-headed enough?

Maybe this exercise won’t serve any purpose other than to stroke my ego and/or piss you off and/or cause you to unsubscribe, but I’m going to go ahead with it because:

I think it’s good practice to periodically assess what things you like about yourself. It clarifies what your values are and helps with self-esteem.
Like anyone else, I am often hard on myself. I’m hoping that reminding myself of the things I like about me will prevent me from flogging myself the next time I fail to live up to my standards.
Thinking of my strengths could motivate me to continue the good things that I’m doing, and improve myself in areas where I’m not where I’d like to be.

So bear with me as I tell you 5 things I like about myself.

5 things I like about me

In descending order of importance:

1. I am reliable

I am as reliable as they come. This is true equally at work and in my personal life. If I say I’ll get something done or be somewhere, then you don’t need to remind me—it’ll get done, and I’ll be there.

2. I am good at keeping my friendships

I am excellent at keeping in touch with people (who I want to keep in touch with). That parenthesis is important. If I value someone as a friend and deem that the person also values me as a friend, then I will always be in touch. It may not be often, but as long as you reciprocate when I reach out, I will continue to reach out until the end of time—be it for a call, a coffee, a lunch, a dinner, a brief catch-up via Messenger, etc.

3. I am conscientious at work

I don’t work crazy hours, but I will get whatever work that needs doing done in a timely manner and to a high standard. Yes, I get lazy and unmotivated at times. But that’s what you have colleagues and weekends and holidays for.

4. I am generous with my time

This is a bit of a strange one. I am very picky with what I spend my time doing and will say “no” to everything that I don’t enjoy. But if you’re a friend in need and it’s something I can help with, I’ll give you all the time in the world. This applies also to people who pay for my services so long as they respect my time.

5. I am good at making new friends

Though this comes at the bottom of my list, it’s one I’m most proud of. I’ve dedicated significant time and energy into friend-making in the past several years, and I’m happy to report that I find it easy now to strike up a conversation and get to know someone at a deeper level.

What’s your five?

There you have it, five things I like about me. Now it’s your turn:

What are five things you like about you?

Take this seriously and don’t put caveats in your answers. There’s no need to be apologetic or self-conscious. Use this space to be kind to yourself and tell me/the world what you like about you. Send a reply, leave a comment, share this with a friend who could use this exercise—there is always room for more kindness to oneself.

To celebrate my birthday, I’m going to take two weeks off Val Thinks to recalibrate and eat cake. I will see you again in your inbox on Friday 12th August.

Until then… Stay thoughtful, and don’t miss me too much,

Val

Photo by Lucas George Wendt on Unsplash

That was a weird sentence to write and I cringe a little seeing it, but it’s the truth. I do like myself quite a lot. (Damn, now this sentence makes me cringe.)