Recognition

EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- Ours is a profession where recognition can present itself in great spectrum - everywhere from being wrapped in bright ceremony by the masses carrying banners of appreciation, to the subtle handshake from an unknown admirer at a cafe.

All of it, we have learned is to be taken in with great modesty. When we are asked to express our feelings about our publicly broadcasted and often glamorized duties, we tend to answer in decline of a response, or simply by stating "I'm no hero", or "I'm just doing my duty. " This often quickly defuses the conversation and we carry on.

But what of our recognition then? Without participating in concession to these public acts of gratitude, we may just be, in effect, cutting ourselves short. This can be frustrating, due to the fact that the act of receiving appreciation remains a human need at different levels, for different people and from different people.

In addition, it could be said that within the industry we have become arbiters of processing ribbons, bullet statements and 'of-the-quarter' awards quite mechanically.

Rote in nature as they have become, we are nevertheless bound by the necessity.

This process that we have become quite good at, essentially is our solution to the problem stated above. More or less, it is our in-house method by which we display gratitude for one another.

So that's it folks, we are recognition complete, thank you and good night.

What's the matter...you still here? Perhaps still not satisfied with your twenty seconds of fame and the nifty certificate? Perhaps you may need a little more even still. But what is left to be had?

A trip down the self-help book aisle will tell us that this un-quenched feeling is completely normal and even warranted. The 'external tokens of appreciation' we were seeking as it turns out, was never what we really needed in the first place. Apparently, it goes a little deeper and thankfully a lot simpler than we thought.

The psychologists' conclusion, as it turns out, is this: Our need for recognition comes from our need to identify value within ourselves.

It could be that we may have just gotten so ultimately used to external forms of appreciation that we have numbed ourselves from what it feels like to simply revel in the self gratification of a job well done. This being the case, our real challenge is not to recognize solely our actions, but rather recognize the quality of the character behind them.

So imagine it. Gone now are the certificates, plaques and the take-shake-salute in front of all your peers. Could you then have the fortitude to still feel valued for all your hard work minus the ensuing glitz that we have grown so used to? Easier said than done, right?

Call me selfish; call me self-indulgent; but my guess is that if you are like me, you want both: The self esteem that carries with it a smirk of assured confidence plus the respectful pat on the back that helps affirm you are still on the right path.

However this uncertainty stands, it can perhaps be answered by going back to the basics: study, share your knowledge and carry out your duties with the security of knowing that you will have done a great job in the end.

Recognize yourself as an achiever first. Act on it. Then trust me...trust me, others will see you in the same light when you are not looking.