Not the polite kind you say out of habit.
Not the rushed kind you mumble in your head and forget five seconds later.

I mean a real thank you.
The kind that stops you for a moment.
The kind that feels a little uncomfortable—because you’re not used to speaking to yourself that way.

Most of us are very good at thanking others.
We thank people for their time, their help, their kindness.
But when it comes to ourselves, we skip that part.

We move on.
We push forward.
We tell ourselves, “That’s what I had to do anyway.”

But that’s not true.

You didn’t have to keep going.
You chose to.

You didn’t have to try again after failing.
You chose to.

You didn’t have to carry the weight silently.
You chose to.

And that matters.

Saying thank you to yourself is not selfish.
It’s not about ego.
It’s not about pretending life was easy.

It’s about honesty.

Because if you’re honest, you’ll admit this:
There were days when quitting would have been easier.
There were moments when no one noticed how tired you were.
There were times when you smiled while carrying things no one else could see.

And still—you showed up.

You showed up for your family.
You showed up for your work.
You showed up for your responsibilities.
Sometimes, you barely showed up for yourself—but you didn’t disappear.

That deserves acknowledgment.

We live in a world that rewards results, not effort.
People clap when something works.
They stay silent when you’re just surviving.

But survival takes strength too.

Think about the battles you fought quietly.
The decisions that kept you awake at night.
The fear you carried while pretending everything was fine.

No one handed you a medal for that.
No one wrote a post about it.
But it shaped who you are.

And you’re allowed to notice that.

Saying thank you to yourself doesn’t mean you’re done growing.
It doesn’t mean you think you’re perfect.
It means you recognize the road you’ve already walked.

You can want more and appreciate what you’ve survived.
Both can exist at the same time.

Maybe you need to thank yourself for not giving up on a dream—
even when progress was slow.

Maybe you need to thank yourself for leaving something that was hurting you.

Maybe you need to thank yourself for staying—
even when leaving felt tempting.

Or maybe you need to thank yourself simply for waking up each day
and doing the best you could with what you had.

That is enough.

We often wait for others to validate us.
To see us.
To say, “I’m proud of you.”

But sometimes, that voice has to come from inside first.

Because when you learn to respect your own effort,
you stop needing permission to rest.
You stop explaining your growth.
You stop shrinking your story.

Try this—not loudly, not dramatically.

Just once.

Look at yourself honestly and say:

Thank you for staying.
Thank you for trying.
Thank you for not giving up on me.

You don’t need an audience for that moment.
You don’t need applause.

You just need truth.

And maybe—just maybe—that small thank you
will give you the strength to write your next chapter
with a little more kindness toward yourself.

GK

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Published by georgi.kisyov

18 thoughts on “When Was the Last Time You Said “Thank You” to Yourself?”

  2. This really touched me. I don’t know that I’ve ever stopped to say thank you to myself out loud, but I can see quiet places where I do practice a little self-appreciation. Sometimes it’s as simple as treating myself to my favorite Starbucks refresher after finally finishing a task I’d been putting off, — my own small “pat on the back.” And when I think about it, even those tiny gestures are a way of acknowledging that the Lord gave strength to endure and grace to keep going.

    It reminds me that “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Any perseverance I’ve had, any courage to show up again, has really been His mercy carrying me. Still, I’m learning that it’s not pride to notice how far He’s brought us. It’s gratitude.

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    1. Thank you for sharing this so thoughtfully.
      I love how you described those quiet places of self-appreciation—they matter more than we often realize. Those small “pat on the back” moments aren’t insignificant at all; they’re gentle acknowledgments of effort, of perseverance, of showing up when it would have been easier not to.
      And I appreciate how you framed it through gratitude rather than pride. Noticing how far we’ve come doesn’t take anything away from God—it honors the work He’s been doing in us all along. Strength received, grace lived out, and mercy that carried you through.
      Your reflection adds such depth to this conversation. Thank you for meeting it with honesty and faith
      GK

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    1. So true. We can be incredibly hard on ourselves, often without even noticing it. A little more kindness inward can change the way we move through everything else.
      Thank you for adding this gentle reminder to the conversation.
      GK

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    1. That’s powerful. There’s something deeply grounding about saying it out loud—especially when it comes from strength and faith rather than ego.
      Holding yourself with that kind of respect matters.
      Thank you for sharing this moment with all of us.
      GK

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    2. That’s powerful. There’s something deeply grounding about saying it out loud—especially when it comes from strength and faith rather than ego.
      Holding yourself with that kind of respect matters.
      Thank you for sharing this moment with all of us.
      GK

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  8. You’re right, Georgi, there’s no sin in a little self-appreciation of our own assets. After all, it’s those assets, or strengths, that help us reach our potential so that we may comport ourselves as citizens of the world.

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    1. Beautifully said. Self-appreciation, when it’s grounded like this, isn’t self-centered at all—it’s responsible. Knowing and respecting our strengths allows us to use them well, not just for ourselves, but in how we show up for others and for the world.
      Thank you for expressing this with such clarity and perspective.
      GK

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    1. Thank you, Rosie.
      You’re so right—doing our best is pretty good, and it often goes completely unnoticed, even by ourselves. Sometimes the reminder alone is enough to shift how we see our own effort.
      I’m grateful you shared this. It fits the heart of the post perfectly 💛
      GK

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