Why I have a "hooray" file and you need one too

There's a lot of bad career advice in the world. But early in my career I read an article with this tip: Any time you get significant praise, drop it into a file marked "Hooray." Then, when you have a bad day, pull out your hooray file and flip through it. It will remind you of all the great things you've done and all the great people you work with.

I've been doing this for well over a decade and it really works. Not only does it help life my mood on a tough day (and, as a PR pro I'm likely to have a lot of those) but it also comes in handy at performance review time.

Your hooray file can be paper or electronic -- I actually have both. I have an email folder since most praise comes that way now, and then a paper folder for notes and such. I actually recently started putting some of the physical notes up on the wall over my desk. That's been a real mood and confidence booster.

What are you waiting for? Start a hooray file today. You'll be glad you did.