The act of acknowledgement recognizes and honours, contributing to an enhanced sense of self-worth. It contributes to creating an environment of unconditional love and support – like fertilizer is to plants, acknowledgement and gratitude expressed create the context and required conditions for growth. Being intentional about it makes all the difference. We can either focus on our shortcomings, what we might have achieved, if only this or that had come into play. Focusing on the negative, is a survival instinct: by focusing on past problems we think we can avoid future conflicts. Worrying about the future rather than acknowledging the present allows us to ignore the multitude of small and large successes we’ve accomplished. Yet, when we focus on what is, what worked, how we exercised our strengths, gifts and special talents to overcome the challenges we faced, we strengthen our relationship and empower ourselves in the here and now.
To acknowledge ourselves and allow ourselves to be acknowledged is a pre-requisite for a healthy relationship with ourselves, others and the world we call home. One way you can do that is to write down your accomplishment, big and small, of the previous year: How much money you’ve made, Friendships made or strengthened, Enlightening discoveries, Health and wellness improvement practices, Knowledge gained, Skills developed, and other things that made you proud and gave you pleasure. Once you’ve got your list prepared, you can illustrate it in a Memory Board or Collage of Photos and things collected while listening to some great music enjoying the memories and letting them nourish you all over again. In the process, you may want to add a simple mantra that will help you stay present to your experience. “I breathe in ease and joy, I breathe out success and fulfillment.”
Acknowledgement Focuses Attention
Acknowledgement focuses our attention on a specific aspect of our Being or Doing, in the present. We can also acknowledge transgressions – identifying injustice, terms & conditions not met…in this context, acknowledgements may require courage. Taking a stand, we speak our mind, our truth, thereby retaining or reinforcing our integrity.
To be acknowledged by someone or acknowledging your Self in private is one thing; to be acknowledged in public is quite another thing. Either can be deeply moving – moving us to centre, helping us ground so we can share more of our authentic selves. The experience quiets the mental chatter and silences the ego momentarily – the ego, always eager and engaged in important busi-ness.
The impact of accepting and integrating the acknowledgement received enables us to relax – we breathe in more deeply and exhale more freely.
“Relaxation is to be who you are. Tension is to be who you think you should be.” Chinese Proverb
Without acknowledgement, by self or others, life can be experienced as desert-like – it may seem hard, brutal, nasty and short and leave us feeling stressed, strained, depleted and exhausted. Besides your brain can effectively only do one thing at a time. By choosing to focus on the positive – on your achievements of the past year, you’re directing the action.
Acknowledgement acts like water to parched earth, refreshing, renewing and revivifying – but we have to receive it to benefit. We can let it run off or take it in, and when we do, we can feel the roots of our being growing deep, finding strength – the spine lengthen to extend our frame to its full height, we stand tall. It feels so good!
Can you get too much acknowledgement?
I don’t think so….that is, not if the acknowledgement comes from a grounded, centered and authentic state of being, uncontaminated by any impure motivations or hidden agenda.
Acknowledgement as a Practice
Acknowledgement as a practice, instills trust and creates a safe environment for open communication and collaboration. The act of providing acknowledgement, appropriate and sensitive to the situation, can produce enormous benefits, enhancing confidence, self esteem, self worth to invigorate purpose, promote engagement and deepen the level of commitment.
In 2013, I consolidated the discoveries I had made from hundreds of coaching journeys facilitated over the last 6 years into 4 Developmental Stages on the Path to Personal Freedom and developed the 12 Steps to Becoming an Authentic Mindful Leader. I also completed a book on the principles and practices for personal sustainability that promote personal healing, transformation and empowerment, to be published in the coming year. These achievements, when I acknowledge them in the context of my life as a journey, give me pause to reflect and catch my breath and let me be nourished by the thought of sharing what I’ve learned with the world in the coming year.
About Julia von Flotow
