As I was scrolling through Twitter recently, I saw a tweet about accomplishments.
The person tweeted, a prominent fantasy writer, shared that they were not mentioned in any best-of lists, nor were they published in anything of note this year.
I felt those words in my bones. At the end of the year, many of us feel compelled to list all our accomplishments—to catalogue the work we’ve completed, to share the stories we’ve published. Hell, even I compiled a list of everything I wrote last year. But I’m not interested in doing that this year.
I am interested in bragging, though.
This year sucked, and I’m actively angry at our continued glorification of succeeding “against the odds.” I’m very proud of people who have accomplished amazing things in spite of their struggles—but I’m also proud of the people who just fucking survived this year.
So let’s brag! Brag about anything you did this year. It can be big, it can be small. The only thing I ask is that, when you share what you’re proud of, sit with what you’ve written for just a moment and let yourself really feel it. Your pride is earned.
Keep going in 2021. I can’t wait to see you on the other side.
Boss Barista will be taking next week off. See y’all again on Tuesday, December 29th!
Every day can be a struggle when I look at all of the challenges I see in the world today. The list is endless. My brag is that I am able to realize how grateful I am for the many positive things in my world. Starting there, I am able to try to make someone else feel positive about themselves or provide a service to someone else. Thanks for this article Ashley.
Every day can be a struggle when I look at all of the challenges I see in the world today. The list is endless. My brag is that I am able to realize how grateful I am for the many positive things in my world. Starting there, I am able to try to make someone else feel positive about themselves or provide a service to someone else. Thanks for this article Ashley.