P.U.S.H. Yourself
In my experience with coaching and consulting leaders, I’ve discovered that many feel they are too hard on themselves. They believe their expectations are unrealistic both of themselves and others. As a result, they frequently experience discouragement, disappointment, and discontent. The mental and emotional strain has taken its toll on their joy, relationships, productivity, and overall outlook on life. They’re burning out.
To this, I have advised leaders to reframe their perspective. Instead of saying, “I’m being too hard on myself,” rather say, “I’m being good to myself.” Having high expectations is a necessary trait for high performance. However, leaders drain themselves of positive energy when they are driven by a desire for people to respect them, Rather, we should want to give our best to leverage our influence in better helping + serving others.
When we’ve given our best, yet we’re convinced we could have done better, we foster a healthy expectation of ourselves. We push ourselves towards higher achievement. Of course, this should be balanced with accepting our best efforts while commending our accomplishments. We eventually lose motivation if we can’t enjoy our work and are constantly frustrated in the productivity and results of ourselves and our teams.
Also, this notion of being too hard on ourselves should never cross over into our self-worth. Although, we can always do better and give more, we should never demean our personal value. It’s admirable to give a better effort: to believe we can always improve. However, we should never think WE are not good enough. Internalizing lack of self-value is destructive. We must balance self-worth + our expectations of doing better.
At the end of the day, we should never apologize for having higher expectations and striving for higher performance. The inner drive for excellence is what makes us stand out as leaders. Instead of thinking of it in negative terms, put a positive spin on it. There’s no reason to expect any less than our very best. Setting high goals will help us create necessary action steps that will P.U.S.H. us on to achieve extraordinary things.
Permit yourself to work hard. Give credence to self-improvement. Don’t obsess over your inability, rather harness your energy and inner drive to work for you. Accept failure and move on. Count your losses but celebrate your wins. Never settle for ordinary.
Utilize and leverage every resource and opportunity at your disposal. Fully optimize and increase your level of effectiveness and influence. Your health, relationships, finances, and life experiences are vital to your success. Never underestimate your value.
Sever routines, relationships, habits, and mindsets that are keeping you down and holding you back. Be kind in the process but dismiss the critics. Don’t allow anything or anyone to hinder you from going hard after your lifelong dreams and finishing strong.
Hold onto your motivation. Do whatever it takes to keep momentum while maintaining your moral compass. Mental, emotional, and physical inertia is critical. Resist laziness and refuse for procrastination to interrupt your workflow. Elevate your commitment.
