The Path to Greatness: How to Recognize Your Own Potential
Posted on October 03, 2012 by Brandy Morris, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
We all have greatness within us and there are clues all around us that tell us what ours is. Here are some tips to find the answer more easily.
One of the big shifts I needed to make in my journey to becoming a life coach was how I handled positive feedback. I learned a long time ago that when I get a compliment I should just say thank you and not point out the mistakes I made, or why it wasn’t really that big a deal to begin with. Where I was missing out was how I dealt with it in my head. I would hear the praise and then file it away under “nice things people say” never to be considered again. How about you? How do you process compliments? Maybe you file it under “things people who don’t know what they’re talking about say” or “things insincere people say” or some other folder that never gets looked in. What if we spent more time determining whether it belonged in the “awesome talents I have” folder instead? It’s actually less about dealing with the person paying you a compliment and more about recognizing strengths within ourselves when they are pointed out.
I wanted to improve my ability to see my own talents as a means of gaining confidence. It’s pretty hard to believe in your dreams when you don’t think you have what it takes to reach the goal. I started thinking about what I was going to need to get better at this. What I came up with was a need to become more self-centered. I know…that sounds ridiculous but I don’t mean it in the way that you are thinking. I’m going to share four attitudes that a person could adopt (or stop being afraid of) in order to be able to better recognize their own strengths.
Self-Confidence
It is okay, healthy even, to toot your own horn. This probably goes against everything you have been taught throughout your life. Talking about your good stuff is arrogant, right? Wrong. In fact, the people who taught you that didn’t even mean it that way. If you think back, they were probably the same people who taught you about self-esteem. The challenge is, these two ideas seem to conflict in our heads and we want to let humility win. I want to tell you today that the battle is imaginary. You can recognize your talents without being a cocky jerk so long as you don’t try to belittle others while you’re doing it. I know that’s not you, so go ahead and big up your chest!
Self-Worth
For some reason, there are those of us who believe that we haven’t done “enough” to earn praise, recognition, affection, whatever. Let me make this very clear- you are enough. You are worthy of praise and celebration just by being born. Stop trying to earn it. Consider the idea that if you aren’t able to recognize your own accomplishment and strengths, how could you ever even meet this impossible goal of “enough”?
Self-Love
How do you treat someone that you love? Do you big them up? Have their back when they’re down? Tell them how awesome they are? Overlook their shortcomings because you are blinded by their beautiful soul? Yeah? I want you to do the same thing for yourself. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you’re awesome! Trust me, you are soooo lovable even you can love you. Now that the love affair has started, shower yourself with praise and affection.
Self-Compassion
FACT: you will make mistakes. We all do; it’s what makes us human. When you make those mistakes, could you be gentle with yourself? I’ll bet it annoys you when people say, “I told you so” or point out every little thing you do wrong. Why be that mean, annoying person in your head and take up a bunch of valuable space? You can be kind, forgive the mistakes, and use the time more productively by focusing on the good.
Do you think that you could adopt these qualities within yourself to help your Inner Spark shine a little brighter? They don’t sound too bad, do they? The bigger picture here is that constantly assessing your weaknesses creates obstacles in your path and can even paralyze you with fear. Focusing on your strengths, and how to maximize them, is what is going to lead you to greatness. Think about some of the huge successes you know of- Beyonce, Wayne Gretzky, Serena Williams, those types. They recognized a talent within themselves and then worked their asses off to strengthen that talent and propel themselves into amazing careers.
What does any of this have to do with accepting positive feedback? Our natural talents are hard for us to identify because they come naturally to us and don’t seem like such a big deal. Often, those shout outs of recognition you are downplaying are actually shining a huge spotlight on your natural talents. If you keep hearing the same praise over and over again, you have a glaringly obvious “something special”. When you find a talent that intersects with a passion you have found the road to your sweet spot. Now you know where to put all that energy you are saving by adopting self-confidence, self-worth, self-love, and self-compassion and you’re on your way to living your totally awesome life.
