02/11/2026
The small achievements matter just as much as the large splashy ones…
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In Irish, there’s a gentle word you don’t hear very often: Sásamh
(pronounced SAW-suv, with a soft “v” at the end).
It means contentment, or deep, quiet satisfaction.
Not the loud, chest-puffing kind of pride.
Not arrogance.
Not showing off.
Just the soft feeling of looking at your life, your work, your children, or your own reflection and thinking,
“Yes. This is good. This is enough for today.”
In the old Irish stories, heroes weren’t perfect.
They were brave one day and frightened the next.
They won great battles, and then turned around and made terrible mistakes.
They got lost. They failed. They had to start over more than once.
And still, the bards sang about them.
Not because they were flawless, but because they kept going. Because they tried. Because they grew. Because they were human.
Somewhere along the way, many of us learned a harsher lesson.
That we shouldn’t feel proud unless everything is perfect.
Unless the house is spotless, the work is finished, the children never struggle, and we never fall short.
We look at other people’s lives, other people’s homes, other people’s children, and we start measuring ourselves against them.
But comparison is the thief of joy.
It steals the quiet victories.
It blinds us to how far we’ve already come.
So if the word pride feels heavy or uncomfortable, maybe try this one instead:
Sásamh.
That quiet, steady feeling of contentment with your own journey.
If you woke up today and won an Olympic gold medal,
I hope you feel a deep sásamh.
If you finally quit smoking,
I hope you feel that same quiet sásamh.
If you cleaned your whole house top to bottom and organized it just the way you like it,
that is worthy of real, honest sásamh.
But you know what else?
If you didn’t… you still deserve it.
If all you did today was one load of laundry,
there is still sásamh in that.
If all you managed was a couple of jumping jacks,
that effort still holds sásamh.
If you bought one pack of ci******es instead of two, because you’re trying,
there is real sásamh in that step.
If all you did today was open your eyes when all you wanted was to keep them shut…
there is deep, quiet sásamh in that too.
Your work matters.
Your effort matters.
Your small steps matter.
You are not only the distance you still have to go.
You are also the miles you’ve already walked.
And that deserves to be honored.
So take a breath.
Look at your life with gentle eyes.
And allow yourself a little sásamh.
You’ve come farther than you think.
