Slay your Self-Saboteur
December 29, 2021
Overcoming the lethargy of inaction
April 1, 2023
Let’s play a game.
Close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths.
Now think back to your most recent victory at work. It could be big or small, doesn’t matter. It should have made you feel happy and great.
Open your eyes and quickly write down all the skills and attributes you displayed in the process of getting this victory.
Eg. Getting a new client – you exhibited patience, creativity, persuasion, knowledge, etc. you get the pattern.
Write down at least 15 attributes.
To help you, I am sharing a few attributes below. Feel free to use these or write your own.
Struggling to get 15?
What about your presentation skills? Client interaction skills? Networking skills?
Think hard and deep and write down at least 15 attributes.
How many of you got 15 right away? Kudos to those few!
How many of you had to really think after 7 or 8?
I’m betting it’s most of you!
Case Study
Shiva thought back to his work victories and decided to select the most recent one. He filled up the format to begin this exercise.
Outcome for the company – Successful acquisition of client
My role in this – Main spokesperson
|
The skills and attributes I displayed
|
| Deep knowledge of the product
Patience Presentation skills People skills Negotiating skills Collaborating with bosses and team Good coding knowledge Asking the right questions to understand the pain point of the client Sympathy and empathy – standing in the client’s shoes to better understand the client’s challenges Going over and beyond what the client wanted Brainstorming Applying knowledge Creative thinking Optimum solution for the client Using Project management techniques Arriving at timelines Consistent Polite Good communication skills Ability to paint a picture with words |
He went on to add many more skills and attributes.
Reading through his attributes, he realized that he had many more skills than he gave himself credit for.
Many skills have now become a part of who he is. He had forgotten about them.
Yet he did learn them, he did put in the effort to get to this stage.
This is the first level of building confidence. Know Yourself.
This foundation of confidence is built from outward to inward.
How does this work? You’ re wondering.
One of the main reasons you lose confidence in yourself is believing that you are not capable enough, that you don’t have the skills or the knowledge to succeed in a particular task.
How does this exercise help us build confidence?
This powerful exercise you just did shows you your true colours and strengths. It clearly helps you in recognizing your attributes and skills. They already exist within you. You probably did not realise you had quite so many of them.
You have just demonstrated to yourself, with your own actions (outward), that you have many more skills and attributes (inward) than you give yourself credit for. This is stuff you did. You showed all these attributes and skills in real life. You have picked the attributes. You own them.
From outwards to inwards! A deep and useful exercise which can be done regularly just to keep tab on how awesome you are!
Photos courtesy: Unsplash