What would happen if you became your biggest fan?

“I feel confident because I’m the best player in the world. It’s that simple”
– Lebron James

Not long ago, my life was turned completely upside down after experiencing a heartbreaking tragedy.

I immediately went from having a clear vision of what my future entailed to not being able to look past tomorrow. For the first time in my life, I experienced what it felt like to be at a loss for words. I had no words of comfort or advise to give myself which felt bizarre considering that I normally talk the ear off my friends when they are going through a hard time.

I also quickly found myself wishing the days away and feeling dismayed at just how slowly time would pass by. However, I now realise that time really is the greatest healer. Every day that passes, I feel myself getting stronger both emotionally and mentally, and I understand that like most things, healing is a process.

The experience I went through also got me thinking – what could we achieve if we each became our own biggest fan? If instead of always being there for our family, friends and colleagues, we took the time to be there for ourselves. If we started to treat ourselves like our own best friend. If we took the time to encourage, believe, educate, listen and trust ourselves. What would happen if we believed in ourselves just like we believe in our nearest and dearest?

In life and in business – the only person that really needs to believe in you, is you. It does not matter what your old high school teacher thought of you or your old boss – as long as you believe in yourself, there are no limits to what you can achieve. It may take you a long time to get to your destination and you may have to go through incredibly hard obstacles to get there, however, as long as you have the strength to continually dig deep and to keep believing in yourself, you will get to where you want to go.

So at work, start to acknowledge your accomplishments and reward yourself for moving in the right direction! I recently watched a commencement speech by a Navy Seal at the University of Texas in 2014 and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. In his speech, the Navy Seal urged the graduates to start their day by first making their bed just like he had to in his Navy Seal training. As he explained, while this may not seem like a big deal to many, doing this simple act allows you to start your day with a sense of accomplishment so that if you happen to return home from a bad day at work, you can look at your bed with a sense of pride. In other words, small things can sometimes play the biggest part in our days, in our lives. I can certainly attest to this during the darkest of days. My advice: set yourself goals and targets at work and reward yourself on completion.

You have a point to prove to nobody but yourself so learn how to flip your challenges upside down. Believe in yourself. Reward yourself. You are stuck with yourself forever. Give yourself the respect you deserve and do yourself justice. Life is fleeting, you might as well make every moment count.

For more information on career advice or opportunities in your respective field. Contact Kevin for a confidential discussion on: email kevin.sinnott@sonderconsultants or give him a call on +61 (4) 7497 8231 / 02 8249 1958