SAY IT WITH YOUR CHEST

Artist: Unknown (please let me know if you know who this is by!)

In my previous post I expressed how I was in a reflective state of mind, and honestly, this has opened my mind to a few things and one which has become clearer is that:

what you think about yourself determines the standards and goals you set, and the approach you choose to take in achieving/exceeding them.

For example, if you believe you are an ‘underachiever’, you will always act like one, you will never push yourself and you may never reach half of your potential as you have devalued your abilities. Now, don’t get me wrong. Just because you believe you are an ‘overachiever’ does not necessarily mean you will always overachieve and that's just the truth. But still, why would you choose to set low standards for yourself? The fear of:

1. Failure
One thing I realised about this, is that it begins with adapting a negative mindset which will shut down your ideas before you even begin to formulate them. Also, maybe you might have failed once previously or have had continuous episodes of experiencing failure and you cannot seem to shake this idea away from your mind. I would suggest you try to:

• Focus less on the outcome and more on having a positive approach so even if you fail, the positivity of your mind will give you the drive to keep going.

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 2. Opinions of others
Have you ever diminished your abilities so that others don’t think you think you are ‘all that’? If the answer is yes, then please stop doing this. I do agree that you do not need to prove your abilities to everyone, however when necessary, ‘say it with your chest!'  People will always have an idea of you in their mind so there isn’t a point trying to control the perception others may have of you. Most times people will treat you according to the standard you have set. 

This is not to suggest that you overestimate your abilities or put yourself on a pedestal but that you have a sense of self-value and realise that sometimes we set more barriers than goals because of the perception we have on ourselves.
 
Suggestions:

• Stop pretending you don’t know things because you are afraid people will think you ‘know it all’.
• Be bold in voicing your abilities when necessary and ensure your actions support them.
• Be ruthless with the direction you allow your mind to take.
• Be open to learning new things and seek ways to develop yourself personally.
• See barriers as hurdles you must clear not a reason/excuse to stop.