Lunch with Friends

🥑 It had been a fun lunch with friends. We were all in our thirties speaking of life and work situations. Conversations about skills, experience, and expertise laced with humor filled the air. Confidence was high, fear and self-doubt were nowhere to be found.

🔑 Arriving home, putting my purse and keys on the kitchen table, I stood there and that’s when the epiphany hit me. You see, I didn’t contribute to the conversation, because all I had at the time was fear, self-doubt, a lack of self-confidence, and, in my mind, no expertise, experience or skills.

💡 That’s when it hit me, “What’s wrong with this picture?”  Why do my friends and I feel so differently about ourselves? Then probably one of the smartest thoughts I’ve ever had entered my mind and it was, “Surely life was not meant to be lived like this!” The “like this” was feeling down on Diane, seeing no value in myself, feelings of unworthiness, and having nothing to offer either personally, professionally, or even to the community.

💨 These feelings are from a dark childhood and other circumstances continuing into that day at the kitchen table. What’s the point? These “scars and baggage” affect many people, you, your co-workers, and yes, even people in the C-Suite. It’s thoughts like this that keep us from moving forward, for even trying, for giving up, or for using our talents to their fullest. What’s the solution?

👍 In a word, change. Changing the way, we think about ourselves, the way we talk to and about ourselves, the way we understand and appreciate our value, and taking the necessary steps to initiate those changes. We don’t have to do it alone. It may take therapy and that’s OK. We can also find trusted confidants, a strong mentor, hire a coach, or join a master mind group. Take scientifically based assessments and have them debriefed by someone qualified to do so. These activities all help us to delve into self-assessment.

😗 Self-awareness is an area many of us neglect. However, self-awareness is essential for decision-making, problem solving, leadership, strategic thinking, and EQ. You see, if we don’t know what we don’t know, how can we be effective leaders in any area of life? Further, you will determine the value you bring to life, your family, the community, and your career.

☀️Self-assessment opens the door for setting goals for your life and career. You
won’t look back, except for lessons learned. Remember to always move forward, share your knowledge and expertise, and bring others up behind you. Let me help you build your confidence, and remove the barriers to your success. Let's get started!