I’ve come across so many folks in my network that are just so brilliant in my eyes but don’t necessarily see it themselves. Sound familiar?
Have you ever felt this way yourself? Because let me tell you, I am certainly not immune to this feeling. My coaches will definitely tell you that.
Many times, it is them who remind me of what makes me unique and the value I can add. We often downplay our own skills, stories, and energy because it is just a fact of our everyday life. It’s like when we have a puppy, and we don’t think they’ve grown at all. Then, we see a friend a few weeks later who says how huge they’ve gotten.
We live our story every day. We deploy our skills every day. It’s difficult to see what makes us special unless we have someone helping to highlight this. Here are some key areas of brilliance that you may be missing in yourself (because I certainly need reminders of these myself).
Our Story
We often don’t recognize the strength, uniqueness, and resilience of our own stories. We lived the story, and we did it day by day. We didn’t see it as one courageous leap, accomplishment, or decision. We lived every minute of trying to figure out what was next.
And because we figured it out ourselves, we often assume that anyone could have or would have done the same thing that we did. Often, when we share with others, we start to see what makes our story unique.
Maybe we do know our path or our story is unique. I’ve certainly learned that at this point, after having told my story enough times, but I still often need help seeing what specifics of the story make it so special. What decisions and actions were so unique about it?
Others can help us see the brilliance of our journeys and how we can help share that brilliance with others.
Our Skills
Often, what comes most naturally to us are our superpowers. Because we execute on whatever skill with such ease, it is often difficult for us to recognize that others may not possess that same ability to the extent that we do.
There are two ways I’ve found that are most prominent in recognizing our skills. The first is by engaging with others, especially those journeying on similar paths. As we make genuine connections, we often will have discussions on what’s going well and what’s challenging. These can help highlight for both parties what their strengths may be and how they can support others with those. Of course, I think coaches are fabulous for this as well; they have been invaluable on my journey.
The second way is by actually taking action. Often, by just getting started on whatever we have our sights set on, we can see what’s going well and what’s not. When I was in the corporate world, I took my efficiency for granted. As I’ve started my own business and worked with such a variety of people and on a variety of projects, I’ve come to recognize how efficient I actually am. While it’s difficult to recognize these skills ourselves, we will often get feedback from others if they can see our skills in action.
Our Energy
Our energy is an underrated currency, but it’s often a huge part of selling people to work with us or to refer us to their friends. As Maya Angelou once said, “People won’t remember what you said, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Our actions speak a thousand words, but our energy does too. We all know how we feel after we interact with someone who makes us feel like a million bucks versus how we feel after interacting with someone who makes us feel like there’s no hope.
Because our energy is so intimately tied into how we live our lives, we sometimes don’t recognize the positive impact it has on others. Our energy is extremely powerful (which is a whole topic in itself), but if your energy helps to energize others, that in itself is a superpower. The impact that can make is immense.
If you’d love to partner with someone so they can help you discover and refine your thought leadership, let’s chat about how I could support you on that journey. Book a free strategy session using the link 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.
Please note that the mountain image behind me in the associated photo is AI-generated.