What are your strengths? What are you really good at?
If I asked you to name ten things you’re really good at, if you’re like most people, you’d pause after about three or five. Why is it you can pick out ten things you dislike or even hate about yourself, but when it comes to listing ten things you love about yourself, it becomes a challenge?
You might have been taught from a young age that “practice makes perfect” or that anything less than an A is not acceptable. So you strive for the best. When you don’t reach it, you focus on all the ways it doesn’t work out or happen how you wanted instead of thinking about all the good things about it. SHARE THIS!
Take for instance you doing a presentation. You’re nervous standing in front of twenty people presenting, even though you know the material. You hate being the center of attention, especially in front of the room. You feel your palms sweating, your knees shake, and all you can focus on is just don’t faint.
You get through the presentation. It wasn’t so bad, and now it’s time for questions and answers. Audience member after audience member share with you how you did a great job, before they ask you clarifying questions like, “Can you explain the direct correlation between x and y” or “What if the economy tanks, how will that affect your projections?”
The meeting is over. You sit in your office, and you replay the presentation over and over in your head. You think That didn’t go as planned. I should’ve explained that more in my presentation. I could’ve mentioned that before they asked. Man, why didn’t I include that?
Instead of being proud of yourself for the great job you did, all you do is criticize yourself for not knowing better, for not being perfect, for not anticipating every.dang.question that might be presented.
You got up there. YAY. That’s huge success in the first place. You didn’t faint. Another success. You rocked the presentation, and you hadn’t given one in years. You were a superstar with the answers, even if you fumbled through some of them. You answered them in a professional manner and what you said made sense. Yes, you were nervous, but most people are. That’s completely normal.
Instead of picking yourself apart, celebrate the amazing job you did. SHARE THIS!
Review what you did. What worked well? What didn’t? Where are their moments of opportunity? How did you stretch yourself? What did you learn about yourself?
It’s easy to pick out all the things we don’t like or that went poorly, but you also need to remember to focus on the things that went well. The ways you exceed your expectations and grew. When you learn to champion yourself, you become your best advocate.
When I was in grad school, during our last class, we had to give group presentations. I was horribly nervous. I was counting down the time until I had to go. I knew the material, but my palms were sweating and just wanted to get through it. Who would’ve thought years later, I would be a professional keynote speaker who made a living speaking in front of thousands of people.
You may not ever become a professional speaker, but each time you do something new, you’ll be able to stretch yourself. Each little stretch allows you to continually become a better version of yourself. And part of that is also embracing all the great things about yourself instead of always focusing on what you could’ve done better.
Become your biggest advocate. Give yourself permission to love and embrace all your juicy greatness, because there’s a lot of it. TWEET THIS!
In the comments below, share with us…What are ten things you’re good at?
Jessica Rector’s mission is simple: transform lives. With a BBA, MBA and BS, Jessica started, hosted, and produced her own TV talk show in Los Angeles with just an idea to help others which launched her first company jessICAREctor International. As someone who attempted suicide as a teen, had a lot of self-judgment around being a single parent, and has a brother who died by suicide, Jessica knows challenges, issues, and pain and how to turn them into something good. Through her own experiences, research, and strategies, she helps you break through your inner struggles and free yourself. As a thought leader, keynote speaker, and author, Jessica consults with companies, coaches individuals, and speaks at conferences, conventions, and organizations helping you change what you say to yourself about yourself to change your thoughts and actions to change your life. Jessica is a Contributor for The Huffington Post and The Good Men Project and has been seen on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Business Journal, and Market Watch. Get Jessica’s third book, Breaking the Silence: Taking the Sh out of Shame at jessicarector.com. Follow her on Facebook by CLICKING HERE.
