5 Ways to Acknowledge Your Greatness
It's not uncommon for women to dumb down their talents or accomplishments. There are many reasons for this.
REASONS WOMEN DUMB DOWN THEIR GREATNESS..
It's not uncommon for women to dumb down their talents or accomplishments. There are many reasons for this.
REASONS WOMEN DUMB DOWN THEIR GREATNESS
1. MEN- She doesn't want to threaten a man's ego and make him feel less great, due to being so incredible. It's silly, but they say stroking a man's ego is how you win him over. And the moment that ego is threatened, the man he thought he was no longer exists. A man needs rose colored glasses to feel in control. A woman kindly places a pair on his face when she makes herself smaller than what she is.
2. LIKABILITY- Women LOOOVE being loved and adored. And no one will adore you if they're intimidated by you. The funny part is many strong and ambitious women will say 'I don't care what people think of me.' But the moment someone asks you, 'What's new? What you been up to?!' Instead of talking about how you've finally completed your book, or you started a spin class to kick start your new fitness goals, you say 'Same ole, same ole.' You're gently telling yourself don't share your happiness, don't acknowledge what excites you, because it may turn people off.
3. WORRIED NO ONE ELSE WILL THINK IT'S GREAT- Just because you think it's great doesn't mean it's actually great. In order for something to be considered great it must be high on the greatness scale. It's unclear what dignifies greatness on this scale. You just know there is a scale.. somewhere and your accomplishment probably doesn't make the cut.
“Greatness does not approach him who is forever looking down”
I met a group of women recently at an event, you could call it a sister circle. All these women, if you asked them what they did they would passively say 'I work at Georgia Tech, I'm in HR, I do marketing.' But when explored a little deeper, one was in the middle of publishing her second book. The other had a jewelry line. The other directs plays. Another is not only an interior decorator, but her house has been photographed for the AJC Newspaper not once but TWICE! I was in the midst of greatness and would've never known. These group of women were not only humble, but striving to reach different heights in their personal and professional lives. I was in awe of their accomplishments and wondered if they knew how great they really were.
I realized, I don't take the time to share my own greatness with strangers, friends, even those I love. I made a decision to no longer dumb down my greatness. Not by being boastful, arrogant, or vain but by reassuring myself of my vision, reminding myself of how I persevere through fear and challenges to get what I want, by shining a light on my uniqueness and not being afraid to stand in that light. As my manager would say, "By not allowing anyone to dull my sparkle."
5 WAYS TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR GREATNESS AND NOT DIMINISH IT
1. SHAMELESSLY SHARE WHAT YOU'RE WORKING ON WITH ANY AND EVERYBODY: Sometimes we don't want to share with others our hobbies or dreams that we want to become professions one day, because it's not real yet. It becomes real when you start acting like it's real. Share your most recent high with people you meet. You'd be surprised how that connection could get you closer to where you're headed or how their acknowledgment encourages you to keep going.
2. KEEP A LIST OF ACTIONS YOU'RE PROUD OF: It is easy to forget how wonderful of a month you had when you're hit with unexpected challenges the following month. Your list of accomplishments is the perfect way to bring yourself back up when you want to hop on the pity train. Just watch that train pass on by.
3. PUT YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ON YOUR RESUME: There's absolutely nothing wrong with stating you're a self-published author or a beauty pageant winner. This shows you are a well rounded, interesting individual. If you're willing to work hard for the things you want then you have the ability to work hard for the company as well.
4. SIMPLY SAY THANK YOU: When someone takes the time to acknowledge your greatness, don't foul it up with what you could've done better and how you should've done this or that. Stop that. It's not about perfection. It's about following your passion, trying something different, finding your way. Them acknowledging you is a big way of saying "I see you and I'm proud of you."
5. ACKNOWLEDGE THE GREATNESS IN OTHERS: It is impossible to see the greatness in others without seeing that same greatness in yourself. When others are doing well stepping into their truth and finding their voice, they need the support of someone else who shares their story. Someone else who is on their own journey to say: Good Job, Keep Going, I Believe in You.
Every month on the 19th I will acknowledge my own greatness by sharing the things I'm proud of myself. Some will be small, others will be big, but they all will be awesome to me because of the effort I put in to make it happen.
JANUARY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Did a 10 day Periscope Series on Organization
Still Breastfeeding at almost 10 months
Hired a speaking coach
Redid my website
Joined NAPO (National Assoc for Professional Organizers) national and local
Started recording videos for my vlog
I hope to encourage other women to shamelessly do the same. Like the saying goes, 'You can't be happy for someone else when you're not happy with yourself.' Once we are able to acknowledge our greatness within, we can then acknowledge that in others. Countless women are doing extraordinary things, but we never take the time to notice. Unfortunately, it's hidden behind their job title, their modesty, their role as a wife or mother. Ditch what's dull, share what's great.
Don't let anyone dull your shine. Share in the comments below some greatness you're proud of. Allow us to congratulate you and encourage you.
Feel free,
Mel
What's Stopping You from Reaching Your Goals
Goal: The end result. It is what you want to achieve. Action: The how. It is the steps required to achieve. One of the most vital skills that sets us apart from much of the animal kingdom is we are able to see into the future. Not predict the future, but envision it. We can imagine
Goal: The end result. It is what you want to achieve.
Action: The how. It is the steps required to achieve.
One of the most vital skills that sets us apart from much of the animal kingdom is we are able to see into the future. Not predict the future, but envision it. We can imagine a time that has yet to exist. This skill has made it possible for us to have goals and dreams. We all aspire to do something with our lives. No matter how big or small, we dream of the possibilities that can exist for us tomorrow.
So the question is this,
Why doesn’t everyone reach their goals?
Why don’t we all have what we imagine for ourselves?
What is holding us back from making our dreams a reality?
I have been goal-setting long before I understood what goals were. If there was something I wanted, I found a way to get it. Over time I have observed that making progress on a goal is never linear. People fall into a rhythm, a stage so-to-speak.
The 4 Stages of Reaching Your Goals
Stage 1: The Hopeful Stage
You hope for a life better than the one today. You can see what you aspire to have clearly. You imagine yourself there and finally making it. But you have yet to take any real action to get there, no plan, no progress, only potential. In this stage, the goal is only a dream.
Stage2: The Acting for the Sake of It Stage
You don’t know exactly what you want, but you know you don’t want what you currently have. So you try any and everything hoping that it will land in the right place at the right time. You tell yourself when the opportunity presents itself you’ll know. In this stage, a goal doesn’t exist. You think one doe,s because you’re putting effort towards something, but that something consistently changes. You’re never makes progress in any one direction, therefore you have no finish line to cross, no goal to reach.
Stage 3: The Lost Stage
You know what you want and you’re doing things randomly to get there. There’s no true commitment or consistency in what you do. You’re hopeful that you’ll reach your goal in due time, but you’re constantly in and out of this belief. Your feelings are as inconsistent as your efforts to reach your goal. This stage is the hardest of all, because you know what needs to be done and where you want to go, but your dedication, your commitment wavers. And this is where a lot of people get stuck. This is where progress gets stagnant.
Stage 4: The Reaching Stage
Everyday you are reaching for your goal by working on the plan you’ve put in place. You are clear on where the finish line is and you know what you need to do to get there. You don’t care if it’s big or small steps, everyday to take one step closer to reaching your goal. You see the progress increase over time. Where you are today is different from where you were months ago. It may not be grand, but there's definitely a change. Your confidence, dedication, and skils are growing- YOU are growing.
I have found myself in each of these stages from when I started my blog. Initially I had no idea what I wanted to do with it other than release my creativity. Then I had a vision of where it could go, but I never made a plan on how to get there. I committed to blogging consistently but that’s it. My effort didn’t align with what I wanted, which is turn my blog into a piggy bank. It took me some time and a lot of trial and error, but my goals and actions have finally started working as one each and every day.
If you find yourself in any of the first 3 stages and you’re ready to make it to stage 4 continue reading. .
How To Reach Your Goals
GET CLEAR ON WHAT YOU WANT- If you don’t know exactly what you want just stop. Stop everything you’re currently doing. You can’t know what to do if you don’t know what you want. Getting clear on your vision will make planning out your actions much easier. And that leads me to the next point..
PLAN IT OUT- Work backwards. For example, if you wanted to make $100,000 a year as a speaker, ask yourself, ‘ What do speakers do to make 6 figures a year?’ You may find they do college tours and workshops. You would then inquire how colleges go about picking their speakers. Based on their criteria, you would start working on a single speech that falls in line with what they’re looking for. For the workshops, you would research the track record of speakers featured at workshops. You may find that before they were paid to speak at other workshops, they hosted their own. You would then find a topic your passionate about that you can master and start putting on workshops of your own. To learn how to speak publically, you would consider joining Toastmasters- a widely respected, national public speaking organization. This is long and drawn out and will take time to accomplish, but each year you will know you’re getting one step closer to your ultimate goal- making six figures as a speaker. Which leads me to step 3..
GET COMMITTED- This is most difficult but also most powerful. This will be driven by why you want what you want and will be reinforced by your plan. There is no reaching your goals without true commitment. You can know what you want and plan it out, but if your actions don’t say the same, then you aren’t committed to getting what you want. Think about it. If someone says they are committed to this relationship, but never follows through on what they say, is not around when it counts, wants to be in a relationship one day, then single the next, you simply wouldn’t believe them. This person is not committed to their partner or having a loving relationship. Once a person’s actions align with what they want, what they want will appear.
Reaching your goals is not as complicated as we make it seem. If you get clear, plan it out, and get committed, you’ll start to see the progress you’ve been longing for. We all have the abilities to make what we want a reality. That is not my opinion, that is fact.
Feel Free,
Mel
Get Family & Friends on Board with Your Life Changes
When you're in the midst of making a change in your life-- whether it's trying to improve yourself, build a business, create a lifestyle that's not surrounded by dysfunction, there will be people that will try to distract you from your goal. Mind you, they are not doing it intentionally. You're the one that's making the change. You're the one that's disrupting the flow by altering the dynamics of the relationship.
When you're in the midst of making a change in life-- whether it's trying to improve yourself, build a business, or create a lifestyle that's not surrounded by dysfunction, there will be people that will try to distract you from your goal. Mind you, they are not doing it intentionally. You're the one that's making the change. You're the one that's disrupting the flow by altering the dynamics of the relationship.
Your strive for change can cause tension and confusion with the ones you love. Making a change in your life is hard enough, there's no need to make it more difficult by crumbling close relationships.
Related Posts:Life is Easy. It's Living That's a Bitch.
If you're on the path to making a change in life and want those around you to be on board, here are a few things to keep in mind:
LEARN TO COMMUNICATE
If you're taking a break from alcohol but your friend is insisting you have a drink, don't get upset. Don't get defensive and insult her for not being able to have a good time without being intoxicated, all because you've decided to make that change in your life. Respect her views and let her know why you refuse to drink right now. Sometimes we want to keep positive changes a secret, because we fear we may not be able to succeed. If you don't tell anyone, and you fail, no one will ever know. Sharing your desire for change actually does the opposite. It holds you more accountable, and if you're sharing it with a loved one, they'll cheer you on.
BE PATIENT
You will have to remind others around you of what you're trying to do. Yes, it will get annoying. You think to yourself,
'I know we've had this conversation already yet they act brand new every single time'.
Put those manners your parents raised you on to work. Be polite and repeat yourself. It's not a crime to repeat yourself. I repeat, it is not a crime to repeat yourself.
BE CONSIDERATE
Your friends and family love you so very much and want to share their time and experiences with you. The time you're spending on changing is probably taking away from that. Put yourself in their shoes. Find ways to keep the peace without sacrificing your needs. This has been a great challenge for me as I designate time each day to work on my business. My boyfriend wants to watch a movie. Which sounds harmless, but he wants to do it with no phones, no iPads, and no laptops. (Basically no distractions) This can be pure torture when all I'm thinking about is the amount of work I can get done in this hour and a half. So we agree that I put a time stamp on what I need to do, and when times up, business gets put away and quality time begins. The beautiful thing about this arrangement is during the designated work period, I'm working with intention, motivation, and fluidity that produces a great outcome. When my time is up, I can relax and spend time doing other things that are equally important to my business(i.e simply watching a movie and eating ice cream with my boobie)
It's easy to get frustrated by the person who is impeding on your growth. How dare they not see what you're doing with your life. How dare they intrude with their wants and desires. How dare they want to spend time with you. (Humans are so self-involved lol)
Related Posts: What Do We Need To Feel Satisfied in Life?
Here's the thing, your growth is no one's responsibility but yours. If you want to grow, change, and become something more than what you are today, it is your responsibility to make that happen. It is also your responsibility to remind others of what you're doing and where you're going. It is also your duty to never forget how your life affects those that you love. It is easy to be selfish and only focus on your goals, needs, and desires. But if all you do is care about you, whenever you get to wherever you're going, you'll be standing there alone. Maybe physically or so far removed emotionally that even in a crowded room you are lonely.
Strive for harmony, a sweet rhythm that involves the notes in your life that are vital. It is not created by your sound alone but of the ones who are willingly playing around you.
Feel free, Mel
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