A preacher once said, “I’d rather be inches from hell and be headed for heaven than be inches from heaven and headed for hell.”
Commitment to personal growth and excellence shapes the direction that we are going. This is true of our lives in general and also true of each day, hour, and minute of our lives. Which direction are you headed? Are you improving day to day, or are you on a slippery slope to self destruction? You might be thinking, “Well, I hadn’t thought about that in a while.” If this is the case, I encourage you to THINK. Thinking about your life, your success, your vision, goals, and essential purpose is at the foundation of personal change. How you perceive yourself will define the way in which you ARE in the world and therefore will shape the reputation you build for yourself.
Most of my work is performed with people that are in some form of a leadership role, from front-line supervisors to CEOs. I work directly with clients to discover their strengths in their leadership role, their current direction; and then we proceed to develop strategies to create positive change. This positive change oftentimes includes a shift in their perception of self as well as strategies for creating change in the perception that others have of them as leaders.
I commonly ask groups the following question: “Do you care what you think about yourself?” The mutual answer is always “YES, of course.” Ok, so then I ask, “Do you care what others think about you?” Now I get less conviction in the response. I get responses reflecting the following range of responses: “Not at all, well sort of, sometimes, with some people, and yes I care.” But here is the catch – personal identity is based upon the combination of these two questions. What a person truly believes about himself/herself is based upon their perception of what others think of them. So, if you believe that employees respect you as a leader, it is also likely that you see yourself as a respectable leader. If you believe that employees think you are a “snake,” then you probably also think that you are a “snake.” Cliché as it may seem, personal change does begin with YOU!
Let your belief in yourself be reflected in behaviors – actions that demonstrate your character. Be committed to self improvement and keep your direction “toward heaven” each and every day. Soon enough you will be knocking on the “pearly gates” of success.
