You are better than you think you are, and here’s why:
1. You realize you are your biggest asset.
“Don’t sell yourself short; you are your best asset.”― Matshona Dhliwayo
An asset is not merely financial; it is a useful or valuable thing, quality, or person. Unfortunately, many people go through life not realizing this fact — If you don’t value yourself, no one else will.
Unfortunately, many trolls on the internet and in real life will gladly keep you from understanding that. People will revel in your misery and failure just to say they are better than you; no, you can’t change that but what you can change is how you develop yourself.
Are you someone that brings value to others?
Are you consistent with self-development and who you want to be?
Do you build up your skills and knowledge every chance you get?
Do you invest in yourself?
Are you taking care of your mental well-being?
Are you clarifying your thoughts via meditation, gratitude, journalling, and reflection?
If so, you are better than you think you are.
2. You have integrity in your actions.
The definition of integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. The honest part is being true to yourself or who you want to be at your core.
Integrity is essential because it demands truthfulness. If you are not honest in your dealings with others and yourself, you can only go so far. Think about the many CEOs, politicians, and other public figures who had a downfall due to a lack of integrity.
“Integrity is the essence of everything successful.” — Buckminster Fuller.
Signs you are a person with integrity:
You are someone people count on.
You have an excellent reputation.
You treat others with respect.
You are genuine.
You don’t need other people to validate you for who you are.
You respect yourself
If you are a person with integrity, you are better than you think you are.
3. You are generous with others.
Generosity can mean many things and doesn’t have to be financial. It can be willing to help others when needed, be it advice, encouragement, or time.
The best thing is it doesn’t take much to be kind, and not only will the recipient be grateful so will the person who dishes the generosity.
One book that emphasizes a lesson in generosity is “The Go-Giver,” by Bob Burg and John D. Mann, which explores giving and how it can help people succeed.
One major lesson among many in the book is the more successful professionals are, the more likely they are to practice kindness in their daily routine.
Kindness is a great universal feeling. Think about the last time someone was kind to you and how it made you feel. Also, think about the last time you were kind to someone and how it made you feel. In either scenario, I could imagine the feeling was incredible.
If you are a person who is generous with others, you are better than you think you are.
4. You are grateful.
Having an attitude of gratitude will get you very far in life. You will have a greater chance of success and happiness the more you can practice gratitude in any situation.
You may not have it all, but all you have makes you okay.
Gratitude comes from within. If you are not where you want to be yet, being grateful for your current position can give you perspective. You can embrace what you have now while you work for what you want.
There are many things to be upset or pissed off about, but if you take a moment and assess how fortunate you are, it may change your philosophy.
I think about a fellow named Nick Vujicic, who was born without arms or legs and has defied all odds to become a successful motivational speaker. His outlook on life is incredible, and he credits gratitude as the main factor in spreading positivity and inspiration worldwide.
If you are a person who is grateful for what you have, you are better than you think you are.
5. You are courageous.
“Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you.” — Bethany Hamilton.
You build your courage muscles every day you work towards doing something you fear.
Building courage is not easy, but it is doable once you take steps toward your goals, no matter how small.
“A journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a single step” — Lao Tsu.
When you take those steps, your courage inspires others to do the same when they are ready.
Regarding courage, I think of the extreme example of the first successful climb on Mount Everest (The highest mountain in the world). Mount Everest had long been considered unclimbable by many and the ultimate climbing challenge by others.
After years of dreaming about it, two mountaineers, New Zealander Edmund Hillary (1919–2008) and Nepalese Tenzing Norgay (1914–1986) reached Mount Everest at 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953. They were the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest, and in the years since, many others climbed successfully.
So how many Mount Everest-like Pursuits are in your life now? Having the courage to climb your own mountain is a challenge, but it all starts with the will to want to do it.
Examples of personal mountains could be:
Raising your children despite limited resources.
Working your hardest to achieve success despite not knowing how.
Showing up to work daily to put food on the table.
Trying to pass an exam.
Paying off massive debt.
There are a million different examples, but if you are a person who has courage, you are doing better than you think.
6. You are optimistic.
Everything will not go your way but having a positive outlook changes the dynamic drastically.
Sometimes all that is needed is a touch of optimism; if you look at everything jaded soon enough, it will all be.
In his groundbreaking book, “Learned Optimism,” Martin Seligman, a.k.a the father of positive psychology, has spent decades of research trying to find out why some people maneuver through their lives so easily. And he concluded that they were optimists.
They were the opposite of pessimists. He coins both Optimism and Pessimism as explanatory styles. In other words, they are how people explain bad events in their lives.
Here are two key examples:
Optimists see problems as temporary, pessimists as permanent.
Optimists see problems as specific to a situation; pessimists make them a general case.
So optimists will not only see a silver lining in every challenge but realize the challenge is only a minor obstacle in the bigger picture, whereas pessimists see only doom and gloom.
Signs of an optimistic thinker
- You feel that the future looks bright.
- You believe good things can come from adverse events.
- You expect things to work out for the best.
So if this is you, you are better than you think.
7. You have a “can-do” attitude.
An example of a “can do” attitude is when you may not know how to do a set task, but if you attempt it realizing, you can figure it out.
“No! Try not.
Do.
Or do not.
There is no try.” — Yoda.
Eliminate the “try” and live up to the vital benefit of a “can do” attitude.
Here is an excellent video about attitude.
If you are a person with a “can do” attitude when it comes to your challenges, you are better than you think.
8. You are willing to learn.
It is not your fault for not knowing; it’s your fault for not wanting to know.
The knowledge is out there everywhere. Everything can be learned. You may not have the top skill right now, but you can learn, take action and formulate a good team if needed, it can be done, but it all begins with the learning process.
Willingness to learn begins with curiosity.
I believe Curiosity is one of the great secrets of happiness. So many of life’s best discoveries happen because of it.
Curiosity allows you to embrace unfamiliar circumstances, giving you a more significant opportunity to experience discovery and joy; it may even save the world.
If you are a person who is curious about life, you are better than you think.
9. You take responsibility for your actions.
Always remember the buck stops with you.
So many people don’t like being held accountable, which always leads to ruin. It leads to ruin because if you always look to blame others, you will never be able to grow strong enough to solve your problems.
Many corporations have lacked accountability for their actions; when they do, it stains their leadership. Once the leadership is terrible, a company will rot from the top down.
Taking responsibility for your actions requires the realization that you play a part in every situation or experience and, therefore, have some degree of responsibility over the outcomes or consequences.
If you are willing to, taking responsibility for your actions can be empowering and have significant positive impacts on your life.
When you take responsibility for your actions, you feel a sense of control rather than a victim of circumstance, which can positively contribute to your well-being, self-esteem, and psychological health.
Taking responsibility in the context of study and learning means that you recognize you play an active role in your education.
If you are a person who takes responsibility for your actions, you are better than you think.
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I know you dont need me to tell you — you are better than you think, but I hope I was able to remind you of your greatness.
All the very best.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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From The Good Men Project on Medium
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