This blog was originally sent as an email to my subscribers on February 14, 2023. This is an archive, so it’s possible some links are missing or expired. If you want me to deliver these emails directly to your inbox, click here to join my email list.
Subject: the strangest compliment I ever received
“Maegan, thank you for being so good with your tongue.”
Tears streamed down my face as I choked on a laugh.
He quickly pulled his hand out of my mouth, face flushing crimson as he realized what he’d just said. “Oh my god, I am so sorry. That did not come out the way I intended.”
“Honestly,” I said from my supine position in the dental chair, “it’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me all week!”
He’d been working inside of my mouth for the past thirty minutes, affixing plastic attachments to my teeth as part of my Invisalign treatment using an adhesive gel he warned should not make contact with my taste buds, hence my diligence in following his instructions about where to move my tongue as he worked.
The truth is, I really like compliments.
Love them, actually! Nothing fills my cup faster than positive feedback. Give me words of affirmation (+ a dose of acts of service, if you’re feeling generous), and I’ll love you forever.
I used to be ashamed of my desire for praise.
My inner-critic would whisper, “Don’t be so vain. You shouldn’t care about what other people think. Besides, they’re just being nice, it’s not actually true.” OOF. My inner-critic is insidious.
But over the years, I’ve realized our culture profits on making us feel shitty about ourselves. We’ve literally been conditioned to criticize our natural desire for affirmation. Isn’t that messed up?!
When we’re braced for criticism and judgment, our sense of safety plummets and our ability to be creative evaporates like water on hot asphalt. Positive feedback, on the other hand, helps us see our own strengths and reinforces deep self-trust in our innate ability to be creative.
This is where the magic happens for therapist entrepreneurs! If you’re yearning for a business beyond private practice, you must be able to articulate your unique ideas, which you can only do when you feel safe to express yourself creatively.
That’s a big part of why I’m reviving the Express Yourself Community Writing Studio—to give you space to begin expressing your creativity without fear of criticism, judgment, or reprimand.
You might come to write secret thoughts in your journal, work on your next blog post, or write about your big vision for the future. Whatever you bring into the room will be honored, and you will be celebrated for showing up and having the courage to let your true self out of that stifling therapist costume you wear in your private practice.
We’re going to meet (almost) every Thursday at 9am PT / 12pm ET for one hour of connection and expression. The community is free to join. This is not a paid coaching group, it’s a space that I need for myself and want to share with you too.
We’re starting THIS Thursday! Can’t make it this week? No worries. We’ll be meeting every Thursday morning. You can hop in and out as you’d like!
I can’t wait to see your faces this Thursday.
My intention words for this year are connection, collaboration, and creativity (you know I can’t resist a good alliteration), and this feels like the perfect way to bring that all together.
See you soon,
Maegan
