by Christine Neilson
Information Specialist, St. Michael’s Hospital
Toronto, Ontario

In my desk drawer, there is a bright yellow file folder that is labeled “Christine’s folder of self esteem”. Whenever I receive an e-mail from a client of the thank-you-so-much-you-are-awesome or I’m-so-glad-I-attended-your-session variety, I like to print it out and stash it in my folder so I can look at it later. It’s not a vanity thing; it’s a self-preservation thing.

I say it’s about self-preservation because there are times, and we all have them, when a project isn’t going well; the people on that committee are driving you insane; you’re doing the job of two people; and any number of other things make you question yourself and your career choices. I think most of us don’t get messages that make us feel warm and fuzzy every day, so we need to get the most out of the ones we do get. My folder is a way to remind myself that despite what I might be feeling at the moment, I’m good at what I do and people appreciate me.

My folder of self-esteem recently came up in a conversation with some colleagues. They said that they want a folder of self-esteem too: And why not? My colleagues are awesome and they shouldn’t forget it.

Do you have a folder of self-esteem? If not, I think you should.

This article gives the views of the author and not necessarily the views of St. Michael’s Hospital, the Centre for Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, or the University Library, University of Saskatchewan.