alt Hacker NewsWhat I mean is, you're reinforcing a mechanism of conditional self-approval. A Sisyphean endeavor by definition!
Giving yourself credit for what you've done is fine, but if it comes from a feeling of insufficiency, then at best it's symptom relief that helps you avoid the underlying issue.
I do agree that it's "bad" to need a reason to justify your existence and happiness, but that's totally separate from evaluating your performance at work. I think you're assuming too much.