Happy at Work – Celebrating Your Successes
“I’m so tired of reinventing myself,” my client told me. She had worked as a lawyer in a law firm, in a government agency, then in a corporate setting as a writer, and now she wanted to open her own law practice.
She told me that with every change she spent hours reviewing her skills and trying to remember her accomplishments. Then she would look for ways her experience might fit into a particular job. She felt like a pretzel being twisted into someone else’s job description.
As she began to prepare to open her law practice, she began to hear those voices in her head telling her she didn’t know enough, she needed more training, and that she wasn’t going to make it. All that negative self-talk made her call me before our usual session because she was feeling so agitated.
“What is it that you think is missing?” I asked her. She wasn’t sure. “What do you have to offer to clients then?” I asked and she began to tell me what she could do. Suddenly she said, “I really do have enough. I have a lot of transferable skills from my other jobs.” Her voice changed and I could hear the relief and excitement. “What did you do in your previous jobs if you got stuck because you were lacking expertise in something?” I asked and when she answered I added, “Can you do that here?” She knew she could.
Somehow in trying to “reinvent” herself she thought she needed to learn more and try to be someone else. In fact, what she needed to do was to see how the skills and accomplishments she already had could be used in her law practice. In addition, she knew that she did have the resources she needed to get any expertise she was lacking.
“You are enough” a coach once told me. Seems like a good message for my client and for everyone at the end of the year. We are often hardest on ourselves.
Soon you may be thinking about resolutions or goals for next year. The last week of the year provides a good opportunity to reflect on what you have accomplished, what skills you have added or improved upon and who you have become.
I encourage everyone to do this. We get so caught up in what we want for the future that we don’t have time to be grateful for the present.
If you are unemployed, writing down your accomplishments may seem very difficult but it is very important. Undoubtedly you have learned some important lessons about yourself and accomplished some things even if they have not resulted in a job.
Take some time during this last week to feel really good about who you are and what you have achieved. Allow that good feeling to put you in that positive frame of mind that will energize you for next year.
Take action:
- Make a list of your most memorable achievements for the year. See if you can come up with 50. Even what seems like a small achievement is an accomplishment. For example: My Tai Chi teacher says I have improved a great deal this year. I can feel it too and am pleased. It’s small but significant to me.
- What have you learned about yourself this year? What impact will that have in the coming year?
- Create and implement your own special way of celebrating your accomplishments and personal growth. I’d love to hear about your special way if you are willing to share it with me.
- Read another article on the topic: How to Feel Good About Your Accomplishments at the End of the Year. on my blog
Need a partner in celebrating your accomplishments? Sometimes it is helpful to celebrate with someone else.Do you want to leverage your success to get a new promotion? Are there expectations for you next year based on your success this year that have you concerned? Do you have a goal for yourself that you could use a partner for encouragement and accountability? If you are looking for a way to make 2018 a spectacular year and would like some help getting started, please give me a call at 781-598-0388 or email me at asparker@asparker.com.
