I was talking with a client about her new coaching practice and the strengths she brings to her work. She shared that she had been sitting at table with several colleagues at a recent training and one woman told her that she could accomplish anything she wanted to, that she has a way of moving in the world that attracts people to her. My client was stunned to hear this about herself.
“Isn’t it funny that others see us so differently than we see ourselves?” she said to me.
I suggested that she post this colleague’s words on the mirror in her bathroom so that she could begin to believe it for herself.
She loved the idea. And she took it a step further. She looked at all of the recommendations she had received on Linked In and posted those too. And then she sent me a photo, with a simple : ) smiley face as the subject of the email.
It can be so enlightening and empowering to hear what others see in us.
We usually only see our flaws, our bumps, our shortcomings. But our friends, our co-workers, our coaches, see our strengths, our gifts, the bigger picture of us.
So here’s your challenge:
Choose five people in your life and ask them:
What do you think are my strengths, my gifts? What am I good at?
After you get past the initial discomfort of asking someone to praise you, to say something nice about you, you’ll probably be thrilled and surprised by the responses.
You may choose to write them on big post it notes and stick them on the mirror in your bathroom.
And you may realize that, if someone else sees those amazing qualities in you, then maybe, just maybe, they might actually be true.
I’d love to hear how it goes!
