How often do you look back and acknowledge yourself for all that you have accomplished?

Taking the time to acknowledge yourself for your accomplishments is one skill you must master if you want to be an effective leader both professionally and personally.

Seriously, think about it!

This has been my experience: very few of us look back and think about all that we have achieved in the big picture! For example, over the last five or ten years I know how important it is to regularly acknowledge these achievements. We spend more time focusing on what is wrong but never enough time on what we have accomplished. So, my friend, if it’s been a long time since you last acknowledged yourself then I would encourage you to take the time right now to acknowledge and appreciate yourself for everything you've accomplished over the years.

Self-acknowledgement and appreciation are what gives us the insight into where we are at and the awareness to move forward towards higher performance and accomplishments. In working with top leaders, I will tell you that among their secrets of success is a regular practice of acknowledging and appreciating what they have accomplished. Self-acknowledgement can offer insights into the future because it not only tells you where you are but it also helps clarify where you want to go in life. Wherever that might be. The journey then becomes easier to navigate - easier to see from the distance and walk confidently step by step.

There is often not much recognition for the work that you do daily and all of the unpaid work that you have to do as a leader. It can be challenging each day to get up and motivate yourself to keep going even when you don't feel like it. It takes courage to take yourself on, so you might as well acknowledge yourself for making things happen against the odds. Of equal importance is to also acknowledge everyone around you who supports you.

As we approach the upcoming months I recommend you create time to check back on your done deals or update your goal list and be proud of yourself for all that you have achieved thus far towards your dreams and aspirations.

To give you some insights here are some simple ways to acknowledge yourself:
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1. Each evening, make a list of all the different ways in which you have lived out your values and life purpose that day.
2. Look for ways that you have shared your unique gifts with the world, and celebrate that.
3. When learning a new skill, acknowledge each step of the journey.
4. When someone else acknowledges you, let it really sink in.
5. Look for ways you are being courageous, and reward yourself for taking a chance, whether it works out the way you planned it or not.

As a coach, self-acknowledgment is one of the most powerful tools in my toolbox. It helps me in my own self-development. I love this quote from a Course in Miracles:

“What you perceive in others, you are strengthening in yourself.”

And I would add, what you strengthen in yourself is what you will perceive in others. So, go ahead and acknowledge yourself. It may feel awkward at first. But this is what I know for sure: if you practice acknowledgment you will be unstoppable and the results that you have will be immeasurable.  How great is that?

The Windrush fiasco should be used to  promote black history in schools, the chief of London’s Black Cultural Archives said.

The ship MV Empire Windrush gave its name to the so-called Windrush generation when it arrived at Tilbury Docks, Essex, carrying 492 passengers on June 22 1948.

The name applies to those from Caribbean countries invited by the Commonwealth to help rebuild Britain between 1948 and 1971 following the Second World War.

The government is currently embroiled in a major row over the Windrush generation having to prove to the Home Office they have the right to live in the UK despite being given indefinite leave to remain in 1973.

Paul Reid, director of the archives in Brixton, south London, said: “These people came over on an invitation and they worked hard. They built Britain as it is today. These are the people responsible for infrastructure that is crucial to this country.”

The director told the Standard that a request for those affected to provide evidence to continue working or get NHS treatment was just another “threat” faced by the black community.

He said “We have been threatened time and time again. Windrush was not the beginning, we had the slave trade, we had black people in the Tudor times, we had integration.

“It is, unfortunately, nothing new but it does highlight a much, much wider issue. That is an issue of identity, of black British history being more than just Black History Month.

“It highlights the marginalisation of the black community. At a time when science and understanding about race is pushing forward, racism is still very real.”

Jeremy Corbyn ambushed by Theresa May in Home Office Windrush rowHe added that the latest threat to deport UK residents without the correct paperwork and Theresa May’s recent apology over the issue was sparked by “mistakes on both sides”.

 “I admit, mistakes were made by both sides. I am affected by this, my father is Jamaican, my wife is Jamaican but I have my documents.

“Some people didn’t get their act together and sort out their documents but they were invited over, if you get an invitation you don’t expect the threat of deportation. The fact of the matter is it was an invitation,” he said.

Mr Reid called for Windrush to be used to push for more emphasis to be put on black history in schools.

He said a lack of it on the national curriculum left young black men in particular feeling isolated and questioning their identity.

“You are a young black man sitting in a classroom, you flip through a book and you see white faces. You start to question, is someone better than me? Why are these people not like me?

“I looked it up myself and while it is interesting, it is not sexy. It is not Kings and Queens but it is bigger than that, it is identity. We have too much ‘steel pans, jerk chicken, and samosas’ – this is not identity,” he said.

Attributing a recent spate of violent, gang-related crime in the capital to a lack of identity, Mr Reid added: “You leave these kids questioning their identity and you get ‘I’m a gang leader’. 

No, you’re not a gang leader, you believe you are a gang leader. They’ve had to make their own way. We need to change the narrative here.

“Show these children what people like them have done and what they can be. We need to stop this marginalisation. It starts with creating a new narrative.

Source : Evening Standard - 18 April 2018