“Believe that your story is worth telling and you will have the confidence to make your voice heard.” (p.308)
Everyone has a different story to tell, it would be a boring world if we were all the same. And yet, we can spend a lot of time trying to fit in and compare, believing our life should look like someone else's story. To be born with unique strengths and even weaknesses is a gift. When we accept it, we have the confidence to find our voice and tell our story, and with that we form relationships and connections that change our lives for the better. Because of the way our brain, our amygdala specifically, is wired, there is something called the negativity bias. It means that humans will focus on their weaknesses to identify the danger around them in an attempt to stay safe. This bias makes us see our weaknesses more easily than we see our strengths. Often we will recognize our weaknesses, be overly critical of ourselves and believe that we need to work hard to improve these areas, but the truth is we find more energy and life gets better when we develop our strengths. We don’t find our best life when we work from our points of weakness. Your strengths are your power, use it to tell life’s best story.
Daily Action: Make a list of what you enjoy most in life.
Example: Writing, Swimming, Parenting
Pick a talent from that list and identify one activity to engage in that would strengthen that skill. Write it down...execute.
Daily Reframe: Strengths = Talent x Skill Development. Today I will look for and capitalize on my strong suits in life rather than depleting my energy and confidence focusing on my weaknesses.
With Optimism,
Wendy