After a few extremely successful months with freelance writing, a friend sent me a card in the mail that simply said, “I’m so proud of you for following your passion on your own terms.” Our Realtor, of all people, shared an article I had written to her social media accounts and gave me high praise for including one of her best tips. I received flowers from my boss, our department vice president, and the CEO of the company I work for, all to applaud a major writing gig I landed—which, of course, has nothing to do with my day-to-day responsibilities related to each of them. And one of my best friends told me how much she loved seeing me feel “happy, accomplished, and validated in the art of my choice.” Being recognized and supported by these people wasn’t expected or even necessary, but it reminded me of the power of celebrating wins, and how much recognizing other people matters. These moments made me feel so special and seen and valued—and they reminded me to do exactly the same for others whenever possible.
Career success is never just about you anyway. It’s the coworkers who help you reach a certain target, give thoughtful input on a dilemma, or stay late to pull pieces of a project together. It’s the front desk assistant who always makes sure the doors are open and unlocked at the right times, or the intern who runs the numbers and ducks out to pick up lunch orders. It’s your spouse or partner or family member who watches your kids so you can fit in an extra hour of work, or sleep in due to being exhausted from the previous week. The more you appreciate, thank, and celebrate the people who make your success possible, the more you demonstrate integrity, because you recognize it takes a village to get, well, anywhere in life. So today take a moment to do just that: appreciate someone, thank someone, and celebrate someone.