We easily fall for a fake picture that we start taking as the actual one. Two three praises from a couple of people and we start defying the truth that we are NOT the best ones out there.
When it comes to Computer Professionals; the severity of the matter is that every tom, dick and harry starts thinking he knows a lot just because he has developed 2-3 pieces of bull-crap software. We shouldn’t be that superficial! It’s ironic that most of the people you will come across with in our field thinks they are good. Either they think they have (eventually) become good or they think they were good since ever.
The problem roots from various factors but the lethal one is the series of fake praises and compliments mostly by your supervisors, boss or colleagues. They do that just so as to get work from you and nothing else. Inside they must be thinking: “What a loser” whilst uttering the praiseful words.
There are a couple of established rules and first of them is:
“Never EVER take your boss’s or your colleague’s praises and pats as your credibility measure.”
Your boss praises you not because he believes in your skills or intellects; nobody gives a damn to your skills and intellects; your boss praises you because he thinks that’s one of the ways to keep this idiot motivated. For majority of the supervisors out there in the industry – fake praises and compliments is a motivation trick. It’s only wise not to fall for it.
Your colleagues praise you because they want to be in the “good books”. People usually avoid being blunt and straight-forward simply because they want to be in your good books. Remember that!
Think out loud:
Come to think of it — why would someone (your boss or whoever) be incidentally and suddenly interested in your self-being? Your appraisal, your careeruplifting, your skills? Why? Is it really “sincere” or is itsomething that has a hidden intention and motive behind itself? Youshould ask yourself. Sincerely.
You will be an idiot if you start believing that you’reextra-ordinary because the people you work with praise you. One wouldargue: ‘they know me “in-depth” because they are working with meand as a result they know how ‘talented’ I am. Therefore, their praisesare legitimate.’ That is what a bull would refer to as “crap”.
Benchmark Yourself:
One should always judge themselves. There is no hard and fast rule. Just like 2 people are not the same, similarly two people can never be judged on the same criteria. You should work up a benchmark table exclusively for yourself. Don’t compare it to others. Don’t compare it with others. Compare yourself with and to yourself only; your previous records and see if you have improved overtime. For us, improvement is a continuous struggle. Knowing how much we have improved is a hidden treasure.
We should all keep track of how much we have improved from our previous state; that is one easy way to quick self-confidence building. The motivation you get from such can not be paralleled by other means.
so true my friend, so true