Who hasn’t felt that they needed more recognition from their boss and assurance so that they have a “good” feeling about the work they’re doing? Maybe it’s a Thank you, a Great job or confirmation about how meaningful the job you are doing to the company, customers or the world!

You are not alone. That is for sure. You are not alone in seeking outward recognition for the work you do. Seeking recognition from outward players (outside yourself) gets you going every day and you start outperforming yourself every single day. But, what happens when you are not receiving the outward recognition you have been seeking for? Or that that you have become accustomed to? And, where does this need to be recognized from others come from?

Go back to a time where your capabilities and skills were questions by the authority in that situation (father, mother, teacher, tutor, mentor..). The first experience where you have encountered that authority questioning you. Tap into the feeling that has been generated by that situation. The situation might be recurring, it might be traumatic. Now, start asking yourself, how has this experience shaped you, and your behaviors when dealing with different sources of authorities in your life (boss, governmental institutions, law enforcement…). Do you see a recurring pattern in your behavior? How has this experience shaped how you view yourself?

In this blog posts there will be no answers, only questions to guide you. And I will leave you with one fundamental thought:

I want to take you back to basics: Everything you seek, want and need is never found outside you.