Confidence is not a constant, it waxes and wanes. I mentioned in last week’s notes that the uncertainty of my work and the impending departure of some of my team to new projects has created an opportunity for my self-doubt to kick in. At times like this I refer to my ‘You Got This’ folder.
What is a ‘You Got This’ folder? It’s a space on my computer where I save nice things people have written about me. You could also have a folder of photos on your phone, or a physical folder of papers if you prefer, but the important thing is that it’s easily accessible and you remember to add to it.
Since I started my job in March 2021, and came into possession of this laptop, I’ve saved 76 pieces of positive feedback. This isn’t intended to be a boast — some of them are really, really tiny — but as a collection they remind me of my best days, and that my presence and my contributions at work are valued.
Items do not have to meet a special threshold to be saved in my ‘You Got This’ folder. They only have to be in a written form that I can easily copy or screenshot, and be vaguely positive. A handful of items are artefacts of ‘formal’ recognition, for example my probation review feedback and an exceptional performance award letter, but the vast majority are informal: snippets of conversations, messages from my virtual leaving card at my previous job, and even bullet point reflections of things I was proud of at a specific point in time.
The contents are for my eyes only and most of the words are vague or out-of-context, so would not be ‘useful’ for any purpose aside cheering me up. But we all need a little cheer occasionally, and this is my way of bottling it up and having it nearby whenever I need it.
If you don’t already have a ‘You Got This’ folder, I suggest you start one today.
Find one positive thing that someone has said about you — maybe you have an email that says ‘thank you’ for helping with a task; maybe you did a show and tell this week and someone left a note in the chat to say how much they enjoyed it; maybe you’ve got some written notes from a performance review that say how much you contributed to a project or improved a skill — take that thing and save it for later. Repeat, repeat again, and thank yourself later.
