Appraisals…

It’s that time of the year… when you have to go on a mini-promotion spree to make your seniors/bosses see that you are worthy of the investment they have made by hiring you.

It is Appraisal Time.

And it is an eerie thing to do… blowing your own trumpet. You fill out Appraisal forms, let yourself be assessed for all that you have done and the potential that is yet to be tapped. But, really, how do you make someone see for who you really are … how do you tell someone your story… that a permanent crown rests on your head for the barriers you have managed to break… for the feats you have accomplished when no CCTV was standing on your head… when the only surveillance you are under is Him watching you, watching over you…

How do you sell yourself? … knowing (in all humility) that you are priceless… Let me tell you a fact you already know… You cannot!

All you can really do is be yourself… be comfortable in your own skin… and keep working out to shed any superficial layers you may have put on… to impress your dears and peers.  I listen to a lot of Jim Carrey these days… I can relate to a lot of what he says. In one of the interviews, he mentions that he would love to be the greatest actor that ever lived, but… he does not have to be. All he really wants is to live this moment, keep doing what he loves and Just Be.

What are we hankering after… We all know the answer, but we are too scared or full of ourselves to admit it… Dying to be accepted, isn’t it? By literally anything that moves… by our family and friends, by random strangers, our colleagues, managers and supervisors… and if all else fails, by our dogs. But, no amount of top-ups, hikes or ballyhoo will fill the hole in our soul… unless we constantly sit with ourselves; sew the loose ends to make it whole.