Do
Yourself a Solid!
A phrase
you will hear in popular entertainment these days is “Do me a solid and . . .”
Essentially the phrase means to do someone a solid favor and . . ., you get meaning! So like I usually do, I
started thinking out loud about a “solid”
we should do for ourselves. Where I landed, as someone whose life’s mission is
to help others be the best version of themselves, is to help you become
solid with yourself!
Being
solid with yourself in terms of your personal effectiveness, requires you do 4
distinct things.
1. Know Yourself –
In his book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, John Maxwell states that in order
to GROW yourself, you must KNOW yourself. This means taking stock of your
strengths, liabilities, passions, dreams, and goals. This takes courage but to
know yourself is the first step in reaching your full potential! One good place
to start is to ask yourself these three questions someone asked John early in
his career.
- What do you SING About – what gives you joy?
- What do you CRY About – what causes or issues do you have compassion for or what “wrongs” do you want to make right?
- What do you DREAM About – what is your ideal future?
2.
Believe
in Yourself –
No one can achieve anything without a
fundamental belief that you can! Even in the face of adversity and
disappointment, you must believe that you can and will do better next time. As
Dr. Henry Cloud states, “You are not your last bad result.” Remember, you
cannot become what you believe you aren’t! I have often said, anytime you doubt
yourself, you commit a crime against yourself because when you do so, you just
robbed yourself of your potential, passion, and performance.
3.
Challenge
Yourself –
The only way we grow and get better at
anything is to challenge our current abilities and skills. John Maxwell states
that “the difference between where you are and where you want to be is created
by the changes we are willing to
make in our lives.” Have you plateaued? Are getting the results that you want?
If the answer is “yes” to the first question and “no” to the second (or you’re just not sure), then get out of your comfort zone and try something new! Some day I will share an experience when I did just that during what was supposed to be a restful vacation!
4.
Extend
Yourself –
Finally, you need to extend yourself.
When you become solid with yourself, you will want to help others do the
same. I once read that you never have anything until you give it away! If you
are a gifted leader, then extend your leadership and influence to a younger
team member. Do you have a unique skill set? Then mentor someone and help them
get better. When we extend ourselves in service to just one person, we create a
ripple effect that will benefit countless others!
As
always, if I can help you Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love
to hear from you. I actually provided an email this time – 17 posts later!
Yours
in Leadership,
Bill
Faulkner
Co-Founder
– Out Loud Strategies
Independent
Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
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