You’re amazing. Tell yourself, and tell everybody else

I woke up this morning feeling very average. I get those days. But I decided to turn it around. How? By having amazing people around me.

3 things I did:

1. I spoke to my wife. My everything. She gets me. And not in the “pat you on the head and make you feel better” kind of way, but in the pragmatic, honest “this is who you are” kinda way. In that, and the conversation that ensued, my headspace changed to one of power and, most importantly, of valuing myself and the contribution I bring to the world.
2. I was guided by EO (part 1). A large part of EO is about understanding your group, your peers, the people who you connect with on the lonely entrepreneurial journey. How do you understand these folks in a short space of time? Well, you tell each other. In 30-60 minutes, you present yourself, your life in totality up to today, to everybody else. It’s remarkable. It’s not the surface level stuff only, it’s the emotional journey that underlies it all that made you what you are today. By sharing your story, you remind yourself of what you did to get to this point in your life. Sometimes we forget…
3. I was guided by EO (part 2). An exercise we did in our Accelerator group last month (led by Ryan Sauer) had each person “sell themselves in 5 minutes”. The catch: No sort ofs, no maybes, no I think I. Absolute, unequivocal, unadulterated positivitely “I am…”. This is who I am, and I’m amazing. Probably one of the most difficult exercises I’ve ever had to do. To stand in front of a group of people and, with focused seriousness, tell them why you’re an incredible human being, is one of the most uncomfortable conversations to have. We do that for our businesses, we do that for our friends, but we never do it for ourselves. Why? Because for the most part I believe it’s because it’s seen as being vain, arrogant and all those things we don’t want to be.

Well today I gave myself a pass. And I’m giving you one too.

I’d like to challenge you all to share in the comments just 3 things that you believe make you an amazing individual. 3 things that if someone just knew that about you (and they knew that you knew that about yourself) that they’d want to get to know you a little better, or realise that they too have those qualities, they just don’t tell themselves enough. And be positive. Sell it.

So, the 3 things I’m amazing at are:

1. I’m amazing at what I do. I can stand on a stage and deliver a message with conviction, and have people buy in.
2. When people speak, I truly listen. My lifelong curiosity for knowledge and understanding people, and how they tick, is a foundation for this.
3. I can play Mary Had A Little Lamb on any chord-based instrument. Even one of those old grey Telkom landlines.

So that’s me. Now it’s your turn. And if you know some people who need a reminder of how amazing they are, challenge them too. My day just got a whole lot better. Yours will too.

Don’t forget: You’re amazing. Tell yourself, and tell everybody else.