Those of you who have been following my rejection therapy blogs know that I have been disappointed that I was slacking off with my rejection therapy, so here it is...redemption week! Day 22 - make a compliment chain: I have been talking about this for a while, so I decided to go through with it, no matter what. Since I had such success at Mead's Corner last week, I decided to return there and see how much more magic there was to offer! From the moment I walked in the door, I saw people I knew, starting with Sheona Sleiman, our fabulous host for The Masks We Wear. After I explained what I was doing, Sheona graciously offered to be my first compliment chain participant, so I gave her the stickers of her choosing (cute little *emoticons*) and she was off...to her first table. I too started at my first table, and was met with a willing participant, so I gave her a page of stickers and was on to the next...and the next...and the next. By the time I got to the last table, I realized that the compliment chain, while in theory sounded like a great idea, was too confusing to captivate people's attention long enough to take it to another table. Lesson #22: The bigger picture lesson here was that it felt superficial complimenting people that I didn't know. It was easy to compliment Sheona (someone I knew), but with the others I felt a little fake, and found myself looking for compliments besides "I like your computer cover" (true story...although in my defense, it was *sparkly*) and searching for things a little deeper as "you are really focused, I like your poise" (another true story...when can you be awkward if not for *rejection therapy*). Day 23 - take "the scale is only a number" signs to all area YMCAs: This was my initial idea with the positive body image signs that I placed in the "Y" close to my house, and I wanted to follow through on that challenge. So I ended up at three more "Y's" and I have to say, I am glad I went. The first YMCA was out of water when I asked if I could place the signs, so I got a "I will put this on Shannon's desk" response, which was not a "yes" or a "no"...but what can you do when the locker rooms are closed? The second YMCA was similar to my initial challenge the other day, except after the gatekeeper apologetically told me that he didn't think it would be possible, both the first and second *persons in charge* told me yes...after one asked the other she ended up *asking me* if it was okay to change it to the YMCA appropriate letterhead, because "I have been wanting to do something like this for a while." The third YMCA was a hesitant *yes* from the start, as I talked to the *person in charge* from the very beginning. She told me I could place it and even offered me tape that she hunted for and brought back the high quality, double sided tape...which she entrusted to my care while I hung the sign. Lesson #23: I considered this a real win, because I received two "yes'es" and a "maybe" added on to the first "yes" from the initial day's challenge, so *the odds were in my favor.* And I am super psyched that a multiplication of that many more women are going to read the initial message, "the scale is only a number," followed by the fine print, "you are beautiful," "you are worthy," and "you are loved." Day 24 - place a "kindness box" at an area restaurant: You may be thinking, "but you already did this." Yes, I did; however, like with the first challenge in this series, my initial idea was to take three boxes to area restaurants, and I only took one before. So, I decided this would be a good week to take two more boxes, and I am glad I did. The first restaurant I dropped by was a local favorite, *Doo Dah Diner,* and for this one I even replicated the logo, which I have to say I was pretty proud for doing before even leaving the house. I gave up perfection for transparency long ago, and I am glad I did, because drawing a perfect skyline can be a bit of a challenge. When I stopped by the restaurant, the girl at the front said she would have to go ask somebody, and so I *patiently* waited with butterflies in my stomach, as I do for many rejection therapy challenges. When she came back and told me that the person she was searching for was not there, and that she would have to ask the owners tomorrow, I thanked her and pleasantly stated that I would be back on another day to check!
The second restaurant I dropped by is my personal favorite, *A Beautiful Day Cafe*, and it was the perfect place to ask to do this challenge, as the girl at the front immediately began searching for a place to put it, asking me if it was okay to put it as people walked in so it would get the most traffic, and thanked me profusely for doing something so kind. Lesson #24: I am glad that I chose more than one place for a number of these challenges, because it gave me the opportunity to feel like I really was exerting myself to go outside of my comfort zone, and as a bonus even if the first place was a "no," the second one could be a "yes!"
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AuthorValerie Ellis, who is in alignment with the Black Lives Matter Movement and everyone whose life is impacted, now or before, by times of social injustice. Archives
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