I have taken the day off work today to celebrate. My daughter, Emma, aged 12 attended an awards ceremony this morning and I have to admit, I am beaming with pride. Emma and her entire class took part in the Navan Education Centre Write A Poem 2016 competition along with other schools from Co. Meath and Co. Louth. She won the female entry for her school and we were invited to attend the award’s ceremony this morning where she was presented with a certificate and a copy of the published anthology that features her poem and the picture she drew to accompany it.
Write A Poem 2016 with Navan Education Centre
Write A Poem 2016
As a parent, I am feeling super proud of her. It is her first publication and even though writing isn’t something she is planning on making a career, I am delighted that the talent runs in the family. Emma is a born artist and her passion is drawing. She wants to be an animator specialising in Japanese Manga. Even still, it is an amazing achievement and it really got me thinking about how important it is to celebrate accomplishments, be it big or small. We made a big fuss of her today. We took her out for a special lunch, and then a bit of shopping. Best of all, her awards ceremony invitation also stated that she could bring two guest. Emma was able to take her best friend,Rebekah, along to the ceremony which made it even more special for her. You can see her pictured on the right holding her anthology with her best friend beside her. Joe and I are behind them along with Bernadette McHugh, the Director of Navan Education Centre, and another lady who spoke with all the children about what she found special in their poems. It really was a wonderful day and the centre went out of their way to ensure that the children were celebrated and they referred to them time and time again as published poets.
As adults we often forget how important celebrating success can be. When was the last time you celebrated an accomplishment, or even thought about your accomplishments for that matter?
Celebrate Your Accomplishments No Matter How Big or Small
Last week I received an email to let me know that a poem I had submitted to Mused – BellaOnline Literary Magazine has been accepted for publication in their Summer Solstice edition which will be released on the 20th of June. I was thrilled with this but I didn’t celebrate. I shared the news with friends and family but that was as far as it went. Sitting watching my daughter receive her award and anthology today made me realise that as parents, we make a big fuss over our children’s accomplishments but tend to overlook our own. As adults it is seen as being big headed or having an ego. Maybe we feel like we are showing off, but why not? It is a big deal to get something published and it should be something that is celebrated.
Children need the encouragement but perhaps as adults we do too. Just taking the time to acknowledge your achievements yourself, maybe treating yourself to a nice dinner, a bottle or wine, of the new book you have been threatening to buy, is showing yourself that you matter and that your accomplishments matter. You don’t have to wait to get the big publishing deal, or a large commission if you are an artist. Every sale, every publication matters and when you take the time to spoil yourself and treat yourself, you are showing yourself that you are proud of what you have done.
Anyway, that is what I wanted to share today. My realisation that it is not only our children’s accomplishments that we have to celebrate, but our own too. What do you think? Do you take the time to treat yourself and celebrate your achievement, no matter what they are? If so why not share what you do in the comments. I’d love to hear them.
Until next time,
Amanda
Amanda J Evans is an award-winning Irish author and writing coach. Amanda writes adult romance that often crosses into paranormal and fantasy. Growing up with heroes like Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones, her stories centre on good versus evil with a splice of love and magic thrown in too. Her books have all won awards and her novella, Hear Me Cry, won the Book of the Year Award at the Dublin Writers Conference 2018. Amanda is also the author of Surviving Suicide: A Memoir from Those Death Left Behind, published in 2012.
