When I was in school, I loathed my English/Language Arts classes.
Yet, all throughout high school, my teachers begged me to take the more advanced classes. I declined literally every single year. I was too busy already with sports and other advanced classes and really didn’t want to spend the time on all the reading and writing.
Fast forward and I now own my own business as a writer. My high school self would be shocked. But my high school teachers saw something in me that I didn’t see or didn’t care to see. As I moved on to college, I focused my time and attention on accounting, economics, and math. Ironically, however, the only class I TA’ed was a class solely focused on a culminating research project with a huge written paper.
As I moved through the business world, even though I worked in corporate finance, I would receive random compliments on my writing. Are you seeing a pattern here? There’s been this thread pulling me towards writing that I ignored for so much of my life.
Even as I started my business, I wasn’t sure what to focus on. It wasn’t until a friend really directly encouraged me to produce my own writing that I started down the path of my blog and eventual business.
So often we discredit the positive things that other people have to say about us while taking critiques to heart. Here’s why I think it’s important to listen to the strengths that others point out to us.
Imposter Syndrome
No shock here that we’re going to discuss imposter syndrome. So often we attribute our successes to luck, the help of others, the circumstances surrounding our success, etc. But we’re all in the same boat.
None of us can do anything alone. Frequently, we have stellar teammates, awesome clients, or a loyal support system. It’s the way the world works. It doesn’t mean we got lucky. It means we put ourselves in a position for success and executed on the goals in front of us.
If we allow ourselves to acknowledge what others see in us that we can’t see in ourselves, we can start to overcome this. But to do this, we truly need to accept that positive feedback.
I’m someone who is generally not the best at accepting compliments or positive feedback. I squirm and don’t know what to say. While we may feel it’s humble, the other person is putting themselves out there to express their feelings about you, and I’m learning that a great gift we can give is to actually accept that positive feedback.
Distorted Picture
Sometimes we have a distorted view of ourselves. For so much of my life, I thought math was my true love, and that I’d always want to do something that was logical and had a definite right answer.
While I do enjoy math and admit that I’m not too shabby at it, the real reason I loved it was because there was a definite correct answer. I could also get through my work efficiently because there was a definite endpoint. You either got it or you didn’t.
Writing was a whole different world with lots of gray areas. There was no right or wrong. There was no stopping point. There was no perfection. That made me feel squeamish. How could I ever know my writing was good enough? So I thought I was meant for math.
You see where I am now… My teachers nailed it. They saw I was good enough even though I was filled with self-doubt in my own creativity.
Opening Our Imagination
Listening to what others have to say can also help enrich our imagination as to what is possible. A couple of stories to demonstrate this point.
As I tried to figure out how I wanted to get traction in my business as a writer, my coach asked me to brainstorm ideas of how I could make money writing. The only things I could really come up with were writing my own books and affiliate marketing. She then introduced me to the concept of copywriting. I had no idea what it was but decided I loved it, and I was able to build my business on it.
If you need further proof, let’s explore another story. I have a friend who is an accountant by trade but loves to plan trips. Like looks at Google maps in his free time. I told him how good he was at it and how much people would utilize his services for planning their own trips out West. It’s so second nature to him that he assumed everyone would love planning their own trips and did it with ease. It’s not until he realized that others stress over this that he started to see the value he could add. Boom, new idea born.
The power of accepting and embracing our strengths as well as being generous in pointing out other people’s strengths is immeasurable. You never know what ripple effect could be put in motion.
I now invite you to reflect on patterns of positive feedback you’ve received. It took me over 10 years to act on mine. Is there any you should be embracing?
If writing is not a strength you’d love to embrace, but you’d love to share your other passions, I’m a ghostwriter who’s got you covered. Book a free strategy session using the button below.
Disclaimer: This blog should not be construed as providing, or intending to provide professional financial, legal, psychological, or other professional advice. It is simply meant to share my experiences with those who may find them relatable and helpful.