As a human, you want to be validated. It's natural to want to feel like we matter, and the easiest way for us to do that is by getting validation from other people.
Section: 1. What is validation?
Section: 2. How we use it
Section: 3. Why we use it
Section: 4. The dangers of using validation as a primary source of self-esteem
What is validation?
Validation is the act of affirming, confirming or validating something. It's a way to show that you trust someone and their opinion. It's also important because it can make people feel better about themselves, especially when they've done something well or achieved something difficult.
Validation differs from praise in that praise is often given without any thought as to whether it will be appreciated by the person receiving it--it may seem condescending or patronizing instead of supportive. And acknowledgement requires no response at all--it's just saying "I see you."
Why do we need it?
You may have heard that we're social beings. That's true, but it's not just a fact about humans--most animals are also social creatures, and many of them rely on each other for survival. In fact, some species can't survive without their groups: bees die if their hive is destroyed; ants will starve if they're separated from their colony; elephants become depressed when they lose their herd.
So why do we need validation? Because we're all part of these larger communities and depend on them for our own survival. Our brains don't know how much food or water you have stored in your pantry or how safe your neighborhood is at night--but they do know whether others consider us valuable members of society who deserve acceptance and support (or not). And since our brains evolved over millions of years as pack animals rather than solitary hunters like cats or wolves (and even those two species hunt in packs), this need for belonging has been hardwired into us since before modern humans even walked the earth!
How does validation affect your business?
Validation is a powerful force. It can help you to feel better about yourself and make your life more enjoyable, but it also has the potential for negative consequences. One of the most common problems with validation is that it becomes addictive--you lose control over how much validation you need and want, so that even when you get enough, it still isn't enough. You may find yourself spending large amounts of time and money seeking out new sources of validation in order to fill some kind of void inside yourself that keeps growing bigger as long as there's something missing from your life (or at least from how others see it).
This addiction can affect everything from your personal relationships with friends and family members all the way up through business dealings with clients or customers:
A process for recovering from addiction to validation.
Identify the problem.
Be honest with yourself.
Be aware of your triggers and avoid them, or at least be prepared for them when they come up (e.g., if you know that watching TV makes validation-seeking behavior more likely for you, then try not to watch as much TV).
Take action to change your behavior (this is where we will start our recovery process).
If you want to succeed in business, don't get addicted to the praise and validation.
When we get addicted to the praise and validation of others, we become dependent on it. And that's a problem because the world doesn't always provide positive feedback. Sometimes people don't like what you do or how you do it, so they'll criticize and reject your work.
They might also ignore or dismiss it altogether if they don't see any value in what you have created or done for them. In fact, there may be times when no one gives praise at all--in which case, there is no external validation available! How will this affect our ability to feel good about ourselves? Will we still be able to value ourselves in those moments?
If you want to succeed in business, don't get addicted to the praise and validation. Validation is important, but it's not everything. You need to make sure that your customers are getting what they need from your product or service, and if they aren't then it's time for some changes or improvements on your part. The key thing here is not just focusing on getting feedback from others - because there are plenty of ways for this process to go wrong! Instead of relying on others' opinions about what works best for them (which may not always be accurate), try looking at yourself first before making any decisions about how things should be done next time around.

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