I made the Forbes Top 100 Websites for Your Career list! Holy crapballs! - When I Grow Up

I made the Forbes Top 100 Websites for Your Career list! Holy crapballs! - When I Grow Up Last week, I learned that this very site made the  Forbes Top 100 Websites for Your Career  list. There I was, minding my business and reading Facebook, when I read a status update that I was tagged in, congratulating me for making the list. Id be lying if I didnt click the link, skip to  Page 9  once I saw it went alphabetically, and start shaking when I saw myself there. I remember when they were taking submissions via tweet, comment, or email, back in August I think. I had it bookmarked for a few days cause I wanted to do a big push and ask everyone Ive ever spoken to to take a moment and let the author know about whenigrowupcoach.combut its been such a busy time for me the deadline came and went. I know one person who tweeted about me (thanks  Hannah!) which is how I found out about the submissions and I hoped thatd be enough to get on their radar. I offered it up to the Forbes gods, so to say. Then, I forgot all about ituntil I saw that Facebook notification. I went a little nutso with the excitement, posting about it everywhere and essentially not being able to do my work for a couple hours. It just felt really big, but more than that, it felt really validating. Ya know, so many people in our online world talk about the education and experience you need to be seen as an expert. And although Im so proud of the decisions Ive made and the route I decided to go to become The When I Grow Up Coach, at the heart of things Im a former actress in my mid-30s with a BFA in musical theater who also has her life coaching certification. Thats it. No masters. No doctorate. No decades of experience. But when Forbes goes through 2,000 (!) websites and deems yours the one youve been working on and in for 5 years so, so diligently, so passionately, so focused on being valuable part of the Top 100 in your field, its like that masters and that doctorate all rolled into one. While Im someone who is constantly looking ahead, planning and goal-creating and whats-next-ing, Im having this accomplishment be the pat on the back I need to realize Im doing lots right. We all need that external validation once in a while. This is mine. When have you had someone recognize you for a job well done? What was it for, and how did it make you feel? Thinking back on that can show you your natural skill set and what makes you feel proud. All key things in finding and living your grown-up, passionate career! Id love to hear about em in the comments.