Is The Need For Recognition Holding You Back?

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Check out the video transcript:

Are you constantly bummed out because your executive and colleagues don't give you the recognition you think you deserve? Well, stay tuned. I'm about to share with you the surprising fix to this problem. It's not what you think. I can almost guarantee it. Assistants, if you would like more transformational strategies geared towards you, please subscribe to my channel and hit the bell to be notified when my weekly episodes go live.

I'm Annie Croner of WholeAssistant.com. In this season of The Whole Assistant Show, I'm breaking down common myths we as assistants need to overcome in order to uplevel our careers and our lives. On this episode of The Whole Assistant Show, I'll break down why you might be seeking recognition, as well as how to respond when the accolades don't come rolling in.

There are two main reasons why you might be seeking recognition. The first reason is that recognition or external validation proves your worthiness. This is especially true for those of us who have been fired or made redundant. I know it was certainly true of me back after I had my stroke. If you're curious about my stroke, you can check out episode one of The Whole Assistant Show. I break it all down for you. But post-stroke, I was demoted, I was told I wasn't worth what the company was paying me, and I was withheld my bonus. I was feeling a little bit insecure and I sought my worthiness and external validation or recognition from my boss, my executive, and my coworkers during that time, until I got my sure-footedness again. Then I found it from an internal source, which is where we should be finding our recognition from. That is one reason why we might be seeking external validation.

Another reason why we may be seeking external validation is that we feel that it is owed to us. We've done a good job. We've worked hard. We've put a lot of time and energy and effort into our jobs, into doing a good job, and we feel that we are owed recognition. Now, this is kind of an entitled perspective and it's an entitled viewpoint. I would have us question either motivator. Are you seeking your worthiness from an external source or are you feeling entitled that somebody owes you an atta girl or recognition? Now, let me just tell you something. Nobody owes you anything if you're getting a paycheck. You're getting a paycheck. You're not owed anything. I would have us really, really examine why it is that we are seeking external validation.

Have you ever sought external validation or recognition of any kind? If so, I want to know about it. Please leave a comment in the comment section below.

Here's how we move past this. For those of us who are struggling with our confidence, for those of us who may have been made redundant or are seeking our worthiness through external validation and recognition, I would encourage you to make the decision that you are enough and appreciate yourself and your contribution. When you appreciate yourself and your contribution and build that relationship with yourself, you no longer seek external recognition. Then when you get external recognition, it's just like the cherry on top, but you aren't actively seeking it or worried about what other people are thinking about you. That's the first strategy for those of us who are dealing with our confidence issues right now. I know I've dealt with them in the past, as I just shared.

The second strategy for those of us who feel like they're owed recognition is to realize that you are not owed recognition, and feeling like you're owed recognition only leads to entitlement and resentment. If you don't get the recognition, then you feel resentful, then you feel entitled. It doesn't feel good. It doesn't feel like you're giving from a place of abundance. If we can drop that script that somebody owes you recognition, then that freezes up to do our jobs from a place of abundance and really appreciating our own contribution.

Hopefully, this episode has given you some good food for thought when dealing with a lack of recognition. Now I want to hear from you. Please share your experience in the comment section below.

I help assistants get everything done while remaining free from overwhelm and burnout. If you're curious whether working with me in a coaching capacity is right for you, feel free to email me at [email protected] or schedule your free 20-minute discovery call. The link is below this video. To continue this discussion and receive support from your fellow assistants and administrative professionals, please head on over to facebook.com/groups/wholeassistant to join our assistants only community. If you liked this episode, please let me know by hitting the like button below. Also, be sure to subscribe and share this video with your fellow assistants and administrative professionals. Last but not least, if this episode has helped you in any way, I want to know about it. Please leave a comment below, sharing how.

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