Aha Moment Monday
Do you remember when you were a kid and you achieved your first ribbon?
What did you do to accomplish it? Was it a race? A scholastic achievement? A project or contest?
If you’ve read SENSORY MEDIA you’ll know the story of my first RED ribbon I received when I was about five.
And like you I’ve gone on to win a number of contests and received many prizes and awards.
Like some prizes, the ribbon itself is insignificant in dollar value but irreplaceable in sentimental value.
It’s not really about the ribbon, though. The ribbon is simply symbolic.  It represents effort and accomplishment.
Now let’s look at the BIG prizes, like the Super Bowl ring, the Order of Canada medal or a Nobel Prize coin.
The monetary value pales in comparison to the intrinsic value. The ring or the medal or the coin is representative of a list of qualities and endeavours. When we see the prize, we immediately know the person.
Like having a degree, induction into a Hall of Fame or winning an Olympic medal. We immediately can identify the qualities of the individual by their “symbols”.
But do we need a symbol to become a person of value?
Aha – achievement is an attitude
Recognition is usually some form of competition and not everyone gets a chance to step into a spotlight.
That surely doesn’t mean that these individuals don’t possess some exceptional qualities worthy of recognition.
In fact, there aren’t awards for some of the most heroic, day-to-day activities you do that feed the spirit of the person sitting right next to you.
You know an act of kindness is one of the most noble acts and is rarely recognized. Those of you who give others a hand-up don’t usually have a plaque on your wall saying, “You can count on me”.
And we know your acts of kindness aren’t motivated by an award; but by an attitude – that you care.
A new client of mine gave me one of their silicone bracelets that says, “I make a difference”.
Part of our business includes making silicone bracelets and I have hundreds I can wear, but this is the one I choose.
It’s symbolic of the work I want to do every day. Seeing the message on the bracelet several times a day reminds me that I can, I choose, I am making a difference.
It’s like my own private award.
What award are you going to give yourself today?
(P.S. share it on the BLOG post!)
Succeed deliberately!
Jae M. Rang, MAS
INSPIRING Results on PURPOSE®
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