Bragging

A few years ago I remember having a conversation with my newly hired employee discussing the importance of us each having a Bragging Wall in our workspaces. (Some would rather call it a Celebration Wall, as bragging has a somewhat abrasive quality in it’s dictionary definition, but I that edge is what I like, and helps drive me forward, so I’ll stick with the right to “brag.”) It is so important to learn how to (tastefully) toot your own horn.

Especially women, and especially women in roles where “success” isn’t always as obvious due to a lack of clear ROI or number charts or when you’re creating so much at such a quick pace, that it quickly gets forgotten or set aside for the next project, or even as a mother who feels like they haven’t done anything, but in reality have moved mountains through the course of a day. I learned early on in my career, that people do not brag for you. (Well, not without knowing what you've accomplished.)

Often, most supervisors and colleagues, unless they have had your same position in the past, have little understanding of the nuts and bolts of what it takes to do your work. This often ends up placing you in a position of defense rather than celebration and it is so important to celebrate the work you know you have accomplished and are proud of, whether others care or not. Bragging or celebration walls are also learning walls and therapy walls. As you move forward and grow in your skills, you can learn from the accomplishments you have celebrated and, now with new insight and skills, you can amplify them! Bragging walls provide that bump in the hard times to remind you of how far you have come and how much you have accomplished, to keep you going. It can be as simple as a bulletin board with printed out flyers for past programs or an evaluation sheet from a past review, or something that only you can delineate special meaning from whether it’s a thank you card from a client or a statement in a meeting that you made and were proud of. It is a physical and personal reminder that your work matters to keep you going when it feels otherwise. (I'm pretty sure this is why doctors and lawyers and architects etc, have their degrees and licenses framed, and on their office walls.)

A Facebook friend recently shared a fantastic insight that I feel is incredibly pertinent to so many of us. She was re-posting something about a speech by Kurt Vonnegut, but quoted from the comment made about the speech:

“I don’t think being good at things is the point of doing them. I think you’ve got all these wonderful experiences with different skills, and that all teaches you things and makes you an interesting person, no matter how well you do them.”(-unknown Archaeologist)

And that honestly changed my life. Because I went from a failure, someone who hadn’t been talented enough at anything to excel, to someone who did things because I enjoyed them. I had been raised in such an achievement-oriented environment, so inundated with the myth of Talent, that I thought it was only worth doing things if you could “Win” at them.”

Bragging boards aren’t about “winning.” They are about celebrating the why of what you do. While they also celebrate achievement, they celebrate the achievements you are proud of and fill you will joy, in addition to the special feeling that goes along with achieving something that also brought others joy. I’m a producer. I feel good at the end of the day when I feel I have been especially productive. Bragging boards could be detrimental to some, they're not to be used to show how anyone is "the best" at anything, so I don’t feel they should be used universally. But for me, and my special anxieties, I have learned that giving myself the room and permission to brag or celebrate, goes a long way towards calming my stress and allowing me to take a breather.

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate”-Oprah Winfrey

“You should always celebrate your successes, because someone else will celebrate your failures.” – Neil Tennant

“Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.”-Mia Hamm