I am generally a very positive and motivated kind of person and I rarely let others drag me down. I think I am the sort of person who believes that if you put your mind to it you can achieve anything. However, that doesn’t help me very much when trying to think about how to answer this question.
One negative self believe that I guess I have been carrying around for a long time is the fact that I don’t truly believe I am really talented at anything. Yes, if I put my mind to something I usually do pretty well at it but I never seem to really excel at anything. I am what you might call a good all rounder! I look around at others; sportsmen and women, business leaders, politicians and think to myself, “I wish I was really good at something”!
I suppose in some ways this negative self belief has manifested itself in me through a product of my own success. That might seem a little contradictory but it is because I have tried and accomplished lots of things in my life that I realise that I am not actually a shining star at anything! I’ve studied, done tonnes of traveling, dipped in and out of different professions, can speak Spanish, have experienced what it’s like to have a family and yet I still haven’t found my vocation. I think this is another reason why I believe I don’t excel at anything. Perhaps until I find my vocation I will never be able to muster up the levels of motivation required to become truly GREAT at something.
In order to let go of this negative self belief I suppose I just need to continue being positive and keep searching for the thing that really floats my boat. I already have some great ideas dancing around upstairs that I am really passionate about right now (Life Coaching). Perhaps a better approach might be for me to stop beating myself up so much and appreciate the fact that I am a good all rounder. That in itself is pretty phenomenal. I really have been very lucky to have done some of the things I’ve done in my life so far.
I think I will do both of those things. I will continue to pursue everything that takes my interest even if I don’t excel at it or realise that perhaps it wasn’t for me, and I will stop being negative about the things I have already done, attempted to do or not excelled at. I realise that being positive about things is the right approach and that I am more likely to succeed in what I do if I maintain a positive outlook. I will try to be less pessimistic about what I could have done better and instead appreciate the fact that I had least had a go. Whilst dwelling on the past is not recommended I think being able to lament in a positive way certainly is.