ENCORE: Mini Mindset Tip: Keep a Praise File

Collecting proof of your impact—for the days you forget.

Celia Cain, PhD

Aug 08, 2025

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It’s hard to believe we’re nearing the end of summer. Some Americans I know are already back in school!

I’m heading out soon for a few days away with my boys, but before I go, I wanted to share two things that might support your own reset as the season begins to shift:

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✨ September 3 Workshop for Paid Subscribers

Whose Energy Is This? A gentle, body-based guide to emotional clarity for sensitive and intuitive people. Full details below.

And also, scroll down for some garden photos and videos!

When Something Comes Up Three Times…

I’ve learned to pay attention when something rises to the surface three times in quick succession. It’s usually a nudge from the universe—or, if you prefer, my subconscious—whispering:
This is for you.
And it’s also meant to be shared.

This week, here were my three:

An old friend told me about academics who are using AI to write peer reviews—and we discussed how authors add hidden white-text prompts to manipulate the response. All this effort, just to feel seen and understood by… a machine?
I sent a note to a Substack writer I admire. I could sense she felt like she was writing into the void, uncertain if anyone cared. I’ve been there. It made me want to reach through the screen and say, Your words matter. You matter.
A fellow parent recently praised one of my kids—glowingly. I was floored. Not because I don’t think my child is praise-worthy, but because I’d been stuck in the loop of teen-friction and eye rolls. Their kind words helped me remember who my child is beyond our daily dust-ups.

Each of these moments reminded me that affirmation, when sincere, is sacred.

And that even when we’re doing meaningful work—or raising incredible humans—we don’t always feel it.

So as I prepare for a few days away, I’m resharing this favorite mini mindset tip from last year, because it’s still true, and maybe you need to hear it now:

Mini Mindset Tip: Keep a Praise File

25 years ago, one of my graduate professors wrote me a recommendation letter for a position as executive director of a small youth arts organization. A few months into the job, I was filing and came across the letter, misfiled. I was hesitant to read it – academic recommendation letters are always confidential – but I justified it with the knowledge that it wasn’t an academic recommendation letter. It was a short excerpt of my proper recommendation letter, focusing on my administrative skills.

Everything he said about what I accomplished in organization and administration as a graduate student was accurate and correct, but the praise included moved me deeply. It wasn’t praise I had heard from him directly.

Even when you know you’ve done good for other people or companies or institutions, having someone you respect praise your work affects you profoundly.

A few years later, when I was deep in the weeds of the academic job his letter helped me get, I pulled out my immigration file and read the visa letter, written by the contracted law firm to convince Immigration Canada that yes, it was necessary to hire me (an American) for this position. Everything in it was accurate. Nothing was exaggerated. But oh my goodness I had never sounded so special.

My mentor likes to remind me that for every negative thing you think about yourself, you need 10 positive things to balance it out.

We focus on the negative. We focus on our own lack. We turn away from the positive. That’s just our brains, braining. We must make a conscious effort to turn to the positive.

So, even when you know you’ve done good for other people or companies or institutions, when someone you respect praises your work, it affects you profoundly.

I was feeling tired and challenged the other day, and a client and friend sent an email recommending and connecting me to his friend. It was just what I needed to hear.

Not only did his words bring comfort, but as I saved them in my Praise File, I realized that I needed to share this mindset tip with you.

You may not be in need of reading words of praise today, but they will bolster you when you’re at a low point in the future. So here’s what to do:

Start a paper file or digital file or photo album of all the praise you receive. And I do mean all praise: letters, emails, screenshots of texts and DMs, voice memos, whatever. Some people prefer to print things out and put it in a blank journal – a Praise Scrapbook. You choose whatever works best for you.
Ignore it until you need it.
When you’re feeling low, pull it out and remind yourself how much good you’ve done.
Send words of praise to someone else. Do this often because not only does it help them, it also helps us when we know we’ve done something especially worthwhile for someone else. You will have a greater effect than you think.

Upcoming Workshop for Paid Subscribers

Whose Energy Is This? A Gentle Guide to Emotional Clarity
Tuesday, September 3 | 8:30 am EDT

Have you ever walked into a room and felt… off? Or left a conversation carrying a heaviness that isn’t yours?

This 60-minute workshop is for empaths, intuitives, and sensitive creatives who are ready to begin discerning what’s theirs—and what’s not.
We’ll explore: