Am I showing my value or hiding it?
Think about how you would answer that question for yourself. If the answer is that you are hiding or not showing up in a big enough way, then you can do something about it. Imagine what can happen now simply because you stopped to think about it. What actions can you take and how many opportunities could you gain by increasing how you show up in a bigger way?
It was easy for me to tell myself that I was doing enough to show my value and I didn’t need to do anything more. The truth is that I was hiding and holding myself back. It was easier and safer to self-sabotage new opportunities than to show up in a way that was uncomfortable for me. I wonder if I had asked myself the question, “am I showing my value or hiding it,” would it have given me pause to at least explore doing something different?
Hindsight is always 20/20, so it is hard to say, but now you have this question in front of you and you don’t have to wait. I understand that it is never easy to ask yourself the hard questions, but that is how you grow. I am always amazed by the power that one question can have to shift the perspectives of my clients.
Great questions help you to explore the fear that holds you back, to understand it better and minimize the power it has over you.
At the end of your work day, do a review of what happened and ask yourself some of these hard questions.
- Did I stand out or stay in the background more than I did the day before?
- What could I do differently tomorrow?
- What do I commit to doing tomorrow to play bigger?
Spend five minutes being honest with yourself to answer these questions and your thinking will begin to shift. You will see that you can be doing more to be visible, even if it is only 10% more. The goal is take action even if it is a small step more than the day before. This is a long game and action, even if it is small, is what makes the difference.