I have
a confession to make: I care way too much about how I’m perceived. And it has hindered me – both personally and
professionally - throughout my life.
It
started when I was a kid. Although we
weren’t what one would call “poor”, we didn’t have a lot of money.
My mom
was a nurse (and a single mom) and struggled to ensure that we had a good home
in a great school district, food to put on the table, and clothes that were
nice. And she did a pretty darn good
job. But I had just enough clothing to
get through about 7 school days before I’d have to start all over again.
Now, I
get that things could have been much worse.
But we lived in a pretty affluent neighborhood – and kids can be cruel.
I
hated being perceived as “poor” and made fun of because of how I looked and
dressed. So I hid. I hid behind books and by being the “smart”
girl.
Unfortunately,
this has stuck with me forever. It’s
probably one of my biggest weaknesses.
And it’s
something that I’m ashamed of. Why? Because most people seem to believe that I don’t
care about what others think of me. Which
makes me feel like a fraud.
People
think that because I share personal viewpoints and stories on my blog, that I don’t care
how I’m perceived (but the truth is, I've not shared so much that I could have for fear of what people would think). They think that
because I’m a coach and help people get over their fears and self-doubt, that
somehow I’m super-woman. But the truth
is, I’m not.
I'm just as human as you are.
So now,
I’m working to overcome this weakness.
I’ve even got a 5-step process for doing so. A process that has helped me stare down other
weaknesses in the past so that I can work to overcome them too. So why not use it to tackle the one that’s
been dragging me down the longest?
Friend, what’s your biggest weakness? Want to overcome it? Find out how in my latest YourTango article:
I’d
love some company as I work through mine. ;-)
Here's where I'm going to ask something of you (actually, several things). Read the article and then share it with your family and friends (because we
ALL have weaknesses and they ABSOLUTELY CAN be overcome).
And, once you've read the article, I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. Hit reply to this email and tell me what weakness you're going to start facing head-on and work to overcome. I read every email - and will even respond to you.
I promise to keep you updated on how my journey goes and to share more of the things that I've been afraid to (in case you can't tell, I started doing that today).
All my best (and with much love),
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