“You just need to be accepted for who you are and be proud of who you are.”
Lewis Hamilton.

Many people that I coach were brought up to be modest and humble about their abilities and what they accomplish in life. As a result, they play down their achievements and underplay their strengths and abilities. They do this as they fear that if they were to speak of their accomplishments or talents, they would be perceived to be boastful or arrogant.

What comes naturally and easily to us are actually our greatest gifts and talents. It’s ironic that the tasks that we complete with effortless ease are the things that other people find most valuable about our contributions.

When things seem easy and are achieved with minimum effort there is a danger that we will take them for granted. It may be that we don’t truly appreciate the value that we bring to our work, our interactions and relationships. We can all have a feeling that our contribution isn’t that valuable because we didn’t have to work very hard to achieve the outcome.

We can easily forget the hours of dedication, practice and learning that it took to master a particular skill and for it to be natural and easy. A good example of this may be if you have learned to drive a car. When I think back to my first few excursions driving a car, it was very confusing and difficult to master.

I remember after one lesson telling my parents that it was very difficult. At that time, I didn’t ever think that I would be able to learn to co-ordinate my feet and hands to change gear and accelerate at the right time, without the car jumping like a kangaroo! Now driving a car comes very easily and the hours of learning, practice, stress and persistence are a distant memory and taken for granted.

When we catch ourselves under-valuing our contribution and ability, it’s worth bringing to mind the old story about Pablo Picasso.

One day, a woman spotted Picasso in the market and pulled out a piece of paper. “Mr Picasso,” she said excitedly, “I’m a big fan. Please could you do a little drawing for me?”

Picasso happily complied and quickly etched out a piece of art for her on the paper provided. He smiled as he handed it back to her, and said, “That will be a million dollars.”

“But Mr Picasso,” the flustered woman replied, “it only took you thirty seconds to do the little masterpiece.” “My good woman,” Picasso laughed; it took me thirty years to do that masterpiece in 30 seconds.”

I suggest you take the time to increase your self- awareness and get the time to really get to know your key talents and strengths. You will benefit greatly from having clarity at what you are first class at and the value you bring to the world.

As part of the exercise, I suggest you also develop a greater understanding of what other people admire and value about you. Ask people whose opinion you trust for their views and opinions on your strengths. You may find they mention things that come easily and naturally to you and that you take for granted.

It may be that you have exceptional communication skills and can put across complex information in a simple way that people can understand and engage with. You may be brilliant at building rapport with people and putting them at ease.

You may have an outstanding ability to focus, set priorities and get things done. It could be that your strength may lie in the way you effortlessly organise yourself, tasks and others.  You may be very creative and innovative and can easily come up with ideas and solutions to problems.

We are all made differently and have a unique set of qualities, behaviours and experiences. I encourage you to invest some time to really develop an understanding of your unique skills and talents.

Once you have this clarity, dedicate some time to truly value and develop your strengths. It will make a huge difference to your life when you do so.

This week, why not take a few moments to reflect and consider what achievement(s) you are most proud of in your life. Also decide what your key talents and strengths are.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk