Have you ever tried to see the back of your head without using a mirror? Doesn’t make sense to try, does it? Since we can’t see it, we don’t pay much attention to it or even know much about what’s going on back there.
It doesn’t make sense that you can see all there is to see about you or achieve all you can without the influence of others. Since you can’t give yourself a 360° look, you may gradually stop paying attention to gaps you can’t see. Without support, you may stop working on those gaps you can see.
Every person who wants to achieve more absolutely must invite trusted individuals to help them see where they cannot, offer counsel as requested when the way is dark, provide accountability where discipline is thin, and support when the times are challenging and courage wanes. These people must be able to provide a non-judgmental, confidential, safe space in which you can open up about your life.
Here’s Tip #7: Proactively invite positive, sharpening influences into your life.
Supports for Success
I prefer to see these people as supports for success versus guards against failure. I regularly invite people I trust to speak to me about blind-spots, offer counsel, provide accountability, and lend support. Find these people for yourself and engage them. Don’t wait for them to come to you. By then, it’s probably past prime time.
Why Don’t People Reach Out for Growth?
I am always intrigued by how few people reach out to others for support in becoming all they can be. I’ve come up with a few thoughts about the inner dialogue that may hold people back.
- “If I ignore my blind-spots and gaps maybe they will go away.”
- “My strengths are good enough to get me by.”
- “I don’t care enough to continue learning and growing.”
- “I don’t want to work that hard to change things in my life.”
- “I’m too busy to intentionally and proactively pursue growth.”
- “I am embarrassed for anyone to know that I am less than perfect.”
- “I might not measure up. People may think less of me.”
- “Everyone else seems better than me. They have everything under control.”
- “It’s too painful to think about my ‘shortcomings’”
Do you identify with any of these?
My Passion
I am passionate about my personal growth and about seeing others be more, see more, and achieve more in their life and work. I come alongside successful individuals, just like you, with a process to support them in discovering what experiencing more is for them and in taking action to move toward it.
If you want to be more, see more, and achieve more, you absolutely must invite invite positive, sharpening influences into your life.
Tell us about how you have established these types of influences?
In five words, how has this helped you?
