During this COVID-19 pandemic, I dealt with an overwhelming amount of rejection in my career as an entrepreneur and felt discouraged. There have been times where I doubted my ability to run a successful enterprise. I figured out a way to stay positive, and it has immensely helped me to regain confidence.
One day, I decided to revisit some of the kind remarks my clients had made about my work in the past. Reading about how I helped a client, close a position that had been open for long, or how they liked the job description I wrote for them, filled me with gratitude and made me feel proud about my work.
To tap into that feeling at any time, I made a folder on my computer and called it “My awesome career”. I’ve compiled screenshots of affirmative feedback in the folder, which I received in the form of emails or text message. These positive remarks were wholly unsolicited and often arrived unexpectedly and made my day. It’s easy to forget this praise when I’m not feeling stellar about my work.
I visit and click through the feedback often — especially during bouts of self-doubt syndrome when I’m in dire need of being reminded of my wins. The fantastic feedback that I had received in the past continues to propel me forward.
Reading through the contents of this folder has become a self-care practice for me and has helped me improve my focus on my career. This practice has also helped me take pride in my work.
Most importantly, this folder has also helped me stay in the abundance mindset and kept me confident that more work will be available as long as I put in the effort.
No matter what kind of work you do, you can benefit from revisiting the appreciation you have received for your excellent work. Make it a practice to collect all the appreciation, positive feedback and store it for posterity.
We all need a bit of encouragement from time to time. It always helps to take a few moments to reflect on the incredible experiences you have had. It will give you the much-needed shot in the arm to overcome challenging days at work.
For me, it helps when I’m coping with a candidate declining an offer, the last-minute no-show for an interview by the candidate, or the client changing the job description after sourcing several candidates and the list can go on and on. For folks in other industries, perhaps it will help you home in on your talents after a challenging day at the office, refocus after dealing with unappreciative clients, ease your worries about job security, or move forward with your work after receiving harsh feedback.
To make your folder, go through your emails, chat messages, performance reviews, and any other notes of praise and kind words you may have received from your boss,
colleagues, clients, and other professional contacts. Take screenshots and save them in a folder on your computer or in your inbox. For snippets of feedback you didn’t get in writing — those kind words your coworker said about you in a meeting or what your manager told you during a review — type them up.
Keep adding positive feedback to your folder. The positive reinforcement will help you navigate the challenging days when you have to tell yourself how incredible you are at your job. This method has helped me stay focused on my work and has been my constant source of encouragement. I hope you will also benefit from using this technique.
Give your best, stay motivated and build an extraordinary career!
