Laura Williams, of L J Business Consultancy, on why you don’t always need to be on the podium to be celebrated
A lot of people know that I’m a Formula One fan, and I am so excited it’s back! One of my favourite races is the Turkish Grand Prix last year where Lewis Hamilton won both the race and his seventh Formula One World Championship.
The race was so eventful that I literally couldn’t take my eyes off it!
Up to lap 28 Lewis wasn’t even on for a podium, let alone a win, so coming from sixth place – and 20 seconds behind the leader – to finishing first and 31 seconds ahead of second place was an impressive way to take his record-equaling title!
As I was watching the celebrations, the commentator said something that really struck a chord with me; out of Lewis’ seven world championship titles, this is only the fourth he has celebrated on the podium.
There have been three occasions where he has won a world championship by simply finishing a race with enough points but no podium position. Sure, there were celebrations in the garage, but the fans did not get to witness or appreciate them like they did when he won the race as well.
Whether you’re a Formula 1 fan or not, you might have figured out where I’m going with this…
SBLs often don’t get to celebrate their successes in the way that they should be able to either!
There are many victories that you have achieved that only you will ever know about. There are countless crises that have been averted by your actions alone that nobody will ever hear of. And yet I know you worry ‘What did I actually do today?’ or ‘Why is my to-do list never done?’
Because you were busy affecting change! You were busy ‘saving the day’!
It may not be tangible, it may not be celebrated publicly, and it may feel thankless at times but your team in the garage (us SBLs!) know exactly what it is you do, how you try, how you strive and how every day – even when everything is rubbish – you achieve something amazing.
So I want you to find a small way to celebrate yourself – buy yourself a fancy box of chocolates, a bottle of your favourite gin, or your favourite takeaway – and congratulate yourself for all the things you’ve both achieved and averted this year.
We all need recognition for our hard work – it’s what makes us grit our teeth, roll our sleeves up and get stuck in – but, as SBLs, we rarely get the wins or podium finishes that we deserve.
Don’t let this undermine your awesomeness; celebrate your wins, do your happy dance and remember you’re a superhero!
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