Awareness of Validation

I was at a good friend's wedding last night where I was the best man. It was definitely more work than I expected, but it was well worth it. I did my best to remove all worry from the family and handled any surprises and last minute decisions. I also gave the best man's speech. I had prepared the speech in advance and even practiced it a few times, but I still needed to read it. Bummer. I know it could have been better if I had memorized it and not looked down at the paper as much (I am my harshest critic!).

Regardless of all of the things I could have done differently, I received tremendous support, acknowledgement and validation from guests and both the bride and groom's family. It really feels great when you are validated by others; people loved my speech and thought that I did a great job keeping a handle on things. I am not trying to brag about what a wonderful job I did, but rather the fact that I appreciated that people noticed the work I did. Please note that is not the reason I worked hard, nor should validation be one's goal.

In the same vein, I would like to thank and acknowledge Raj and Tanya for helping me. They both jumped in and helped; Raj with videoing and music and Tanya with anything I needed plus dealing with the bridesmaids.

The awareness for today is to recognize personally what we can do to validate and acknowledge others. Those "others" are our family, friends, coworkers, employees, partners (both romantic and business), etc. Let those around you know that you appreciate the work they do. That may be the extra incentive they need to go that extra mile.
~Paul