Are you overly hard on yourself? Most of us are. We tend to be our own worst critics, because all we tend to focus on is our shortcomings – our warts, so to speak. The Colonel said. “You have to have a purpose that drives you forward, something you really believe in. Otherwise, all you’ve got left are your warts to focus on, and that’ll kill ya every time.”
As a professional speaker, I have a passion for helping my audiences find their own significance and grow to be significant leaders. It is my purpose and my singular focus every time I take the stage. If I were focused just on making money, or was speaking on a topic someone else had chosen for me, I would not be so passionate. I’d probably listen more often to naysayers. There could be 100 amazing reviews and one person who just didn’t “get” me and what do we tend to focus on? The “haters.” (Everyone has haters, even motivational speakers.)
We are all harder on ourselves than we are on other people, especially when we have been the target of negativity. If I didn’t have an unshakeable commitment to my purpose, I would likely obsess over every hater and tear myself up over every stutter or forgotten phrase. Each time that self-doubt threatens me, I dig back into the purpose that drives me: to convince the world (one person, one room, one ballroom, or one arena at a time) that each and every human being is significant and deserving of respect. Focusing on that ideal allows me to move past moments of doubt and “well-meaning” criticism and continue standing before audiences, sharing my message.
What is the purpose that drives you – even on the really bad days? As leaders, focusing on our purpose and how it benefits others allows us to accept and work through our own imperfections. Our purpose gives us the strength to be fully vulnerable in those imperfections, human, and, therefore, relatable to those we hope to serve.
Read Lauren’s Whitepaper on The Nine Essentials of Significant Leadership.