You Should Motivate Yourself With a 'Jar of Awesome'

1 day ago7 min read2 comments

The concept is deceptively simple, a humble jar placed on your kitchen counter or desk, but its power lies in the daily, deliberate act of acknowledging your own small victories. This isn't about waiting for the monumental, life-altering promotion or the dream vacation; it’s about training your brain, through a tangible, physical ritual, to spot the tiny sparks of joy and accomplishment that we so often overlook in our relentless pursuit of the next big thing.I’ve spoken with dozens of people who have adopted this practice, and the stories are remarkably consistent. One woman, a graphic designer named Sarah, started her jar during a period of intense creative burnout.She told me she began by dropping in notes about a client’s quick 'thank you' email, a color palette that finally clicked, even the simple pleasure of a perfectly brewed cup of coffee in a quiet moment. 'For weeks, it felt silly,' she confessed, 'but then I had a terrible day where everything went wrong.I felt like a complete failure. I pulled out a handful of those slips of paper and read them, and I actually started to cry.It was proof. It was evidence that my life wasn't just one bad day, but a collection of hundreds of good ones I had been ignoring.' This is the psychological magic at play—it’s a direct counter-assault on our brain’s innate negativity bias, a hardwired tendency to give more weight to bad experiences than to good ones. By creating a curated archive of your personal 'awesome,' you are essentially building a portfolio of your own resilience and competence.You don't need a literal jar, of course. The vessel is secondary to the practice.I’ve interviewed individuals who use a dedicated notes app on their phone, a beautiful wooden box, even a section in their daily planner. The key is the consistency and the specificity.Writing 'had a good day' is too vague; the power comes from the detail: 'Finally navigated that difficult conversation with my colleague and we found a solution,' or 'My daughter laughed uncontrollably at the silly face I made. ' These are the data points of a life well-lived.The act of writing it down, of physically placing that note into a container, seals the moment, making it more real and retrievable than a passing thought. When you review them, perhaps on a Sunday evening or on a day when your confidence is faltering, you aren't just reading a list; you are reliving a series of validated successes.It’s a form of self-curated therapy, a way of bearing witness to your own life. In a world that constantly pushes us to want more, to achieve more, to be more, the 'Jar of Awesome' is a quiet rebellion.It’s a practice that says, 'What I have done, and what I am experiencing right now, is already enough. ' It shifts the focus from a distant, often stressful future to a present moment filled with evidence of your own capability and grace.It’s not about arrogant self-congratulation; it’s about compassionate self-recognition. It’s about building a relationship with yourself where you become your own most reliable witness, your own gentle archivist, collecting the proof that you are, in fact, doing far better than you think.

#motivation

#self-improvement

#productivity

#psychology

#personal finance

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