Self-recognition.

I'm hungry for a life lesson.

A big one.

My boss has been out of town for the past two weeks on vacation, leaving me her hectic workload on top of my already generally confusion. At first, I saw this as a great challenge, an opportunity for me to prove myself to her and the rest of my company.

But then I arrived on that first Monday, with my only reference point being a small list she had left me and my own brain. I panicked. I think I literally sat at my desk, silent, for a good ten minutes that morning before i even tackled my overflowing inbox. But shortly after, I realized I didn't have a choice. This was my responsibility, and hey, I'm sure my manager and co-workers will help push me, guide me and they'll definitely praise me.

The first week went by. No acknowledgement. No thank yous. Not even a check-in. My first thought? How could they possibly trust me with all this important work. Second? What am I doing all this work for if I won't even be recognized.

I was disappointed. Not only did I take on the challenge of doing my boss's job with minimal training and guidance, but I was doing what I thought was a fantastic job. I was building client relationships, getting the work done fast and getting it done well. And what did I have to show for it? Besides a checked-off to-do list, nothing.

But I didn't have a choice. I went into the second week with a more positive attitude. I was going to do the work for me and for me only, to have the satisfaction of knowing that I am just as capable as my boss to do this amount of work. And so I did.

That Monday, my boss's first day back after two weeks away, I went into work expecting very little. I was proud of what I had done and that was all that had mattered. But to my surprise, my boss not only praised what I had done as being a fantastic job at stepping up to the plate, but she brought me a scarf, specially picked out for me from Thailand. It was incredibly nice and thoughtful of her.

But all of a sudden, as much as I had wanted to hear those words of acknowledgement come from her mouth, I no longer needed them. I had proved to myself that I could do it, that I could do whatever was put in front of me. And I did.

So as much as praise from others is important and in many circumstances, necessary, that's not what got me through those two weeks. My own drive was my biggest motivation.