You have done so many wonderful things in your life that you can be proud of. Think about a time that you worked really hard at something you achieved. You might recall an experience from when you were a small child or one that happened just this year. Now you're going to dig deeper into that experience.

Think of this as if you're writing the hero's tale of this story, and you are the hero. If you feel self- conscious to think about it in this way, or you're worried that you sound self-centered, try to put those thoughts out of your mind for the next few minutes. You can get the glory and still be a good person. In fact, in a hero's tale, the hero gets the glory because they earned it.

Use these prompts to help you write the story in your mind.
• What steps did you have to take to achieve that goal?
• What were some of the barriers?
• What did you learn about yourself as you overcame those barriers?
• Did you ever feel like you couldn't do it, and what shifted that made it possible?
• What positive qualities of yours did you use to achieve success in this goal?
• How did you feel when you realized that you had finally succeeded?
• Who did you tell about your achievement?
• Who celebrated this success with you?
• What was the look on their face when you told them or when they watched you achieve it?
• How did it feel to watch them taking joy and pride in your success?

As you move through this exercise, observe how you are rekindling those feelings right now, as you recall them from the past. Connecting present to past is part of how we internalize the feeling of joy, which is what you are rightfully doing in this moment. Allow those feelings of pride, purpose, and accomplishment live in you and radiate out of you.

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