Where I come from, what do people think?
Matters.
You don't act the way you want to act.
You have to think about the community first.
So when you are raised in such environment, then when you enter the workplace, you take along
with you the same pattern of thinking about, oh, but what will people think?
And as a result, I held and I know you are holding yourself back.
And enough is enough.
But for today, I'm going to share with you five ways that
I have applied to myself and it worked.
So I was thinking, why not sharing it with you, actually?
The question I get asked often, what will people think when I start making myself visible?
What if potential future employers, partners, stakeholders don't like what I post online?
Of course, it's a little bit scary.
Your brain was designed to keep you safe.
So when you start doing things that you don't know, your brain don't know the outcome,
it is like, don't go there, stay here, we're good, we're safe.
But here, nothing happens, nothing grows, right?
That's why you have to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and make yourself visible
because you can be the best at what you do if no one knows it or if no one understands
the true values of your work, your experience, your competence and have a clear understanding
of your full potential, what's the point?
So it's really for you in the first place to be willing to go outside of your comfort zone
and to start making yourself visible and get rid of those mental blocks.
So here are the five tips that have helped me out and that could help you out, actually.
So first of all, it's really to gain clarity about who you are as a person outside of your
job title.
What do you want to be known for as a person?
OK, this is the priority.
You need to gain clarity because it's hard to start pushing yourself out there to making
yourself visible.
If in the first place you are confused about what you want to be known for, what is your
leadership identity, how you want to come across as a leader.
Number two, change your self-talk.
Self-talk can be either positive or negative.
And the thing is, and that's the beauty of it, you have the power to change the direction
of your self talk.
You have the power to change the narrative you are telling yourself from the negative
perspective to a positive perspective.
You can create a narrative where you are empowered and that is empowering.
So don't underestimate the power of your self talk because this is a powerful tool
that you can use yourself and master to your advantage.
Number three, leave a line with your own standards, values and desires.
Once you are clear about your own values and standards, you want to take actions that
are aligned with those values and standards, not with other people's values and standards.
I have seen it a lot and actually too many times where, and I remember, two, three past
clients, they were like in a leadership role for big companies, but they quit because
they felt what they were doing and the where they were doing it were not aligned with who
they were at the core.
Don't fake it until you make it because it is not sustainable, it's really, really hard
to build a career and to climb the ladder doing things and pretending to be someone that
is not aligned with your core values and standards.
And even if it works for a short period of time, I can guarantee you that on the long
term, you will feel miserable.
Number four, detach yourself from the need to be light.
This one is a big one, a powerful one.
We are concerned about what people think about us because we want to be likable and
that's normal.
We want to be likable.
But now, let me tell you something, you are not for everyone.
So you have to make peace with this idea that everyone you're going to meet in your
life, you're going to work with in your life is not going to like you and that's okay.
That's okay.
You know, a lot of people appreciate me, my energy, my content and a lot of people don't
and that's okay because you are here to make an impact as a leader.
You are here to make an impact among the people who can relate to you.
Those are the people who mother.
The rest, listen, we are more than seven billion people on this planet, okay.
You cannot be liked by everyone and that's not your job to be liked by everyone.
Your job is to remain true to yourself.
So make peace with this because this is not happening.
And last but not least, keep growing and improving.
When you choose to live your life on your own terms, you are responsible for your actions.
You are responsible for your actions and for what you need to do in order to learn and
grow.
Again, if you stay inside of this comfort zone, nothing happens here.
It's boring and as an aspiring leader or as a leader, you want to learn and grow.
You want to be able to amplify your voice, your impact and your influence.
What I will strongly encourage you to do is to live a life you are proud of, no matter
what other people think.
Because no matter what you do, what you don't do, no matter how you do it or how you don't
do it, people will have an opinion about it.
And again, that's okay.
That's how the word is.
That's really the best advice that I can give you today.
Because to me, this is really one of the keys to happiness.
And when you are happy, success is around the corner.
I strongly believe in it.
Success doesn't make you happy,
happiness makes you successful.
