Can you articulate your awesomeness?
The answer is binary. It’s either a yes or a no.
If yes, then you can skip this week’s edition. Congratulations - you are part of an elite group that truly knows their self worth and that’s worth its weight in gold!
If not, then read on my friend, this is for you.
I was listening to the Read to Lead podcast on my walk last week in which Jeff Brown interviews Lisa Bragg on her new book “Bragging Rights: How to talk about your work using purposeful self promotion.” It was in this interview that I heard the phrase “articulate your awesomeness” and it resonated with me immediately.
I’ve been mentoring for years now and I can confidently say that that most of us struggle when it comes to deeply knowing our strengths and what makes us truly awesome. When I ask mentees what their “X factor” is, there is usually stunned silence. It’s not as though I have figured it out to perfection either though I’m probably a bit further along in the journey than many of you because I became aware of the need to articulate what makes us truly special and have been thinking about my articulations for several years now.
Why is it important that you even try to articulate your awesomeness?
Four key reasons: Self-awareness. Confidence. Career advancement. Personal branding.
Operating from a position of knowledge about who you are and what you uniquely bring to the table gives you an upper hand. The spring in your step and the certainty in your stance radiates your confidence to whoever you are interacting with. You light up the room even before you speak. Your mere presence exudes a certain vibe that most others may lack. Start speaking in your self-assured tone and the doors to opportunities are yours to open and walk through.
There’s no shortcut to finding your special sauce. It will take a lot of self-reflection, feedback from your inner circle and lots of iterations to get the words right. But when you do, you will have a secret power that everybody you interact with will undoubtedly experience.
Over to you now:
Which aspects of your personality can become a part of your awesomeness construct?
Who in your inner circle will have the keenest insights on what makes you you?
Which upcoming life situations would benefit from you having clarity on your awesomeness sooner rather than later?