I’ve spent the past couple of weeks reflecting on self-worth and its impact in every part of our personal and professional life. And here is what I learned: many of us give away our power every day.
I believe your personal power is your ability to show up fully as yourself and accept both the rewards and consequences that come with being authentic. Only by unapologetically living in your power are you able to reach your full potential. When you show up and honor yourself you become happier, you communicate more effectively, you lead stronger teams, and your authenticity helps lift others up to the same level.
Over the next several weeks I will provide lessons to help you reclaim your personal power and live a happier, more successful life.
Feel free to share these tips with your friends and colleagues if you think they can benefit from hearing the message. Remember: we are all messy and just trying to clean it up! Here’s a great place to start. . .
LESSON #1 – GET A VISION
It is no one else’s responsibility to help you get a vision for your life. When you don’t have a clear vision for how you want to show up day-to-day then you have nothing to hold yourself accountable to. As a result, most people who fail to create a vision often feel stuck and stressed. Being stuck is a choice so let’s dig out of the mess.
First, you must get clear about the emotional wake you want to leave behind when you interact with others. Identify 3 words you want others to use when describing you. Examples could be confident, competent, inspiring, trustworthy, strategic, loyal, fun, listener, forward-thinking, etc. Once you’re clear on how you want to be authentically perceived then you are required to align your actions accordingly. This step is the foundation for changing your mindset and getting a vision for how to show up better.
Second, I believe that each of us has a purpose. You were not put here by accident. As Rick Warren said, “Knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life.” When you don’t have a vision for your career/life, you allow other people to manage it for you. Check out Lisa Evan’s FastCompany.com article: Why Your Life Needs a Mission Statement. In the article management coach Allison Rimm states, “How can I tell you if this is a step in the right direction if you don’t have a direction?”
The purpose you serve today is always a reflection of the lessons you learned yesterday! Simon Sinek says in his book, Start With Why, “Authenticity cannot be achieved without clarity of WHY.” So how do you articulate your purpose in a way that clearly communicates “why you do what you do”?
USE THE PURPOSE STATEMENT FORMULA
WHAT (power verb) + WHO (audience) + RESULT
I had the privilege to work with 60 inspiring leaders at Taco Bell this month and help them create their purpose statements. Their statements follow the formula above and prove that your purpose is always about how you use your gifts to serve other people and make a difference.
TACO BELL LEADER’S PURPOSE STATEMENTS:
- Give people the tools to change their life.
- Grow people into great leaders.
- Encourage people to invest in themselves.
- Challenge people to make a change.
- Influence people to be better versions of themselves.
Being able to articulate your vision not only builds trust as a leader but it becomes a compass for how you make personal and professional decisions. The vision puts you back into the driver’s seat of your life.
You cannot live an authentic life when you don’t have a vision for what that means to you. Take time this week to invest in yourself. Start by answering the daily growth questions below and feel free to email me if you have any questions.
Remember: our job is not to wake up and have it all together. Our job is to show up and just be better than yesterday.
Keep going, Keep growing!
DAILY GROWTH QUESTIONS
- What 3 words do I hope people use to describe me?
- What actions would I need to take to be perceived as those words?
- What behaviors do I demonstrate that prevent me from being perceived as those words?
- What is my purpose?
- What will I commit to doing this week to start living my vision better?
YOUR WEEKLY CHALLENGE
Spend this week crafting your 3 words and developing your purpose statement. Share them with your friends/family. When you’re ready to go public, share them on Twitter using #ReclaimingMyVision so you can inspire others to do the same!
