Why I’m Awesome, In 140 Characters or Less

If you’re like most people, you’re not that keen on telling other people how awesome you are. (And you ARE awesome.) But here’s the thing – you need to do it, because if you wait for someone else it may never happen. You don’t necessarily have to write a novel on your awesomeness. Just fire off a quick note; take a picture even.

Because we live in the future, we’ve all become accustomed to giving short, pithy updates on our progress. Whether it’s a Facebook status update, a text message, a comment on a blog post or a twittered tweet, we’re getting better at communicating in fewer words.

So here’s a challenge. What have you achieved recently? What’s the newest most fantastic accomplishment you’re sharing with your colleagues over your morning coffee? (We’re assuming you’ll be recording this for review time, because you’re AWESOME. And smart).

Take that accomplishment and make it zippy. Published something that’s getting an unprecedented response? Write a note: "Got some more great feedback on my AWESOME article: ’Most useful advice ever, shared with my staff.’ I feel so validated." There. That’s enough. You don’t actually have to tweet it or post it on Facebook (although you could! People do!); but now your accomplishment is recorded for prosperity. What’s more, if you keep it short it’s more likely to actually get read at review time.

Bonus extra step: if you’re feeling fancy, go ahead and attach a screenshot, printout, photo copy, fax or recording of the feedback. Now save it in your filing cabinet of choice – it’ll make recalling it when you need to prove your AWESOMENESS so much easier.

We know we’ve said it before, but you really do need to blow your own trumpet. Your point of view on what you do is really very important from a performance perspective, and when it comes to you, you are your own best advocate. So get advocating – record your latest AWESOME achievement and like the proverbial crocodile handbag, make it snappy.