A friendly note for a Monday ... how do you value yourself?

Where do you value yourself compared to your colleagues?

It is easy in our work and our personal lives to compare ourselves to others. How we think, behave, respond to situations, dress and how we work.

Especially in the work place if you are looking for that promotion, you can fall into the bad habit of competing secretly with your colleagues to be the best of the best. LET’S STOP THAT IMMEDIATELY! A rule you should make for yourself in 2019 is to focus on you.

Easier said than done right? It is important in every aspect of your life to know and be proud of what you are bringing to the table. Your professional history, skillset and mindset will be completely different in that to your colleague next to you and that is what makes you special. We are constantly learning and adapting in our roles from work encounters and what we experience daily.

So, the second you feel you may not be good enough for that promotion or have doubts of why a manager would pick you to head up a project, push those thoughts to one side and recognise your value to the company you work for. (Remember your hiring manager put you in that position for a reason – because they saw what you are capable of!)

Why not try a few of these simple rules for this year to be a focus on you: 

1)    Ignore the gossip and hearsay! Without realising it the negative talk you are getting involved in or simply paying attention to will start to add in weight to your shoulders.

2)    Free up time to think about other things. Expelling the negative comments, time wasters and bad influencers from your working day will (without realising) give you the opportunity to focus on more important aspects.

3)    You know where you want to be? Do something for your career today. Whether it be studying a home qualification, attending classes or approaching a manager for support in your progression. Focus entirely on what you want in your career. Just because your colleagues may not want to progress forward, doesn’t mean you have to stay behind.

4)    Fight the urge to show your frustration! Now I am not talking about if you are being mistreated in your role or made to feel out of place by a colleague. I mean if you love the company you work for and you find the colleagues who are not working hard are bothering you – let them deal with it! It shows a lot more about your character and professional attitude than you think, so don’t take caring as a negative!

5)    Let go of the things you cannot control. Unfortunately, the bittersweet element of life is that we cannot control everything. There will be things in your work you cannot control. So instead of letting it eat you up inside and affect your productivity, make the conscience effort to take a breath and say, ‘I cannot control this, so I will not let it affect me’. Trust me, over time you will see a difference.

‘The strongest factor for success is self-esteem; believing you can do it, believing you deserve it and believing you will get it.’