Vantage Point

Dear loving people,

Literally, vantage point means a position that affords a broad overall view or perspective, as of a place or situation. To me, it equally denotes a higher level of success you attain as a cumulative result of painstaking actions meticulously taken over time such that you have an overview of what it takes to get there and can point out the pitfall to others because you are now at a higher level and can see all around you the struggles of others.

During the very early days of my career, I had a boss who gave me a “Lacks ambition” rating on my performance review. Despite the fact that my second supervisor opposed the rating, it did not calm me because I knew fully well that when it comes to work, employees who lack ambition seldom rise to the top of an organization. Without a strong desire to achieve something, nothing is accomplished.

Today when I look back, I thank that boss because that rating he gave me, set me on a new path, I decided that I will stop at nothing to get the highest performance rating possible and a few years later, I repeatedly achieved the “consistently exceeds expectation” rating.

But I must however caution that in a world where ambition often compels people to do whatever it takes to rise to positions of power over others, God calls His people to a new way of living. We are to do nothing out of selfish ambition (Phil. 2:3) and to lay aside the weight of sin that ensnares us (Heb. 12:1).

If you want to be someone who truly “rises up,” make it your ambition to humbly love and serve God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). This frame of mind did changed the way I regarded myself when I was rated a high performer, I was in shock—I had entered the cherished circle of high performers.

It’s the oddest feeling when something you’ve been working towards finally comes to fruition. For me, I had constantly done my auto-evaluation, adjusting my strategies for so long, so reading it my new rating in the performance report seemed surreal. Success can be surreal like that.

It got me thinking about victories. So often people talk about their worries and struggles to rise to prominence but seldom do we talk about success when it comes. When success happens to us, sometimes we aren’t sure how to embrace it because we’ve been struggling for so long. Or we overlook our achievements.

Many of us undermine the good things that happen in our lives. So it is vital to learn how to let the positive things really sink in and benefit us. A starting point that can assist you get the most out of your achievements are the following!

Visualize your achievements. For me, holding my performance report with such good rating was similar to the way that parents cuddle a newborn child. Shortly after reading the report, though, I put it aside and moved on to other things I had to do during the day. But then I picked the report back up. Too often, we don’t let the good stuff sink in—so I felt and touched and examined this report for what is was. I now reread the successive reports regularly and keep them at a hands’ stretch where I can get to it at any moment and relive the good feelings each time. Did you receive a certificate of appreciation? Display it in your home or in your office so you can see what you received each time you look at it. This is a simple way to be reminded constantly that you’ve done well.

Mention, don’t brag. You may not want to talk up your accomplishments out of fear that others will think you’re bragging. If you have this mindset, you probably aren’t a bragger anyway. So go ahead and tell your friend that you’ve landed a big account. Tell your family members about all of the interesting appreciation you’ve received. Tell them about your good news and listen to theirs. I would be careful of the way you talk to others in your industry, though. Only my close friends know that when I share good news I’m not boasting—others may not have the capacity to understand. But it’s good to discuss your successes, and listen to others’ accomplishments. It shows support and a sound relationship with someone that you can mention successes and not be jealous or vindictive. Find friends that support you and share the goodness.

Publicize your career bonuses. When you complete a project to a client’s utmost satisfaction, this is the kind of thing that you should publicize. And remember that publicizing doesn’t mean bragging: it’s more about using a success as a stepping stone toward more accomplishments. Use a knockout clip in your portfolio. These are simple things to do that will help you leverage one success into more achievements. I always tell friends of the huge projects that got realized because I played a major role in their implementation. In a similar sense, it’s okay to mention that you’re an “award-winning” professional if you’ve won an award in your organization. It’s not boasting—it’s marketing your professional status and all of us need to celebrate the good.

Good happens. Let’s all try focusing on the good things, too. Securing a new client, creating a masterpiece…these are things that you should celebrate in your own way. And if you’re lucky enough to have a support system, you can raise a glass to yourself every once in a while.

At this vantage point, you don’t hope to roll off to the bottom of the hill again, exhale, live and let others live.